Magic Miracles
by theshadowcat
Summary: Miracles still happen. Story number twelve in the 'Magic' series. Rated for adult situations. Please read and review. COMPLETE!
1. Fright

**Author's Notes**: Hi gang. This story is a bit lighter than the last one, but will still pull on your heartstrings. I hope.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anyone or thing from the Hellboy universe and I don't own the rights to CNN.

* * *

"So, what did Dr. Hodson have to say?" Abe mumbles, trying to stay awake.

"About what?" Maggie quietly asks, barely keeping her own eyes open.

"What did she say after she examined you?" he questions. "It would have been nice if she waited until I was done making dinner."

"That my uterus is almost completely shrunk down to its original size and that since the bleeding has stopped I shouldn't have any problems flying in about a week," she manages to answer just before she lets out a huge yawn, ignoring his grumble. "The twins seem healthy and should have no problems with the flight either. Manning's already got her report and he's told her that he expects you and the twins to be in New Jersey in about a week. He doesn't care if I come or not."

"Please don't make this a fight," he begs from his prone position on the bed next to her.

"You don't have to go back," she quietly tells him. "We could live here. It's secluded and I have enough money that we wouldn't need to return this place to a working ranch."

"As tempting as that sounds, you know it's not possible," he points out, finally pushing himself upright. "Even if Manning and the government were willing to leave us alone, I wouldn't be able to take it. I need something to do. As wonderful as it has been these past few months, especially these last five weeks, I need a purpose in life. Being an agent for the BPRD gives me that. Do you understand?"

"Yes, you'd rather be there then here," she replies quietly.

"Maggie…," he starts.

"Here, Dylan's done," she interrupts as she hands the five week old baby to his father. "Would you please burp him?"

Abe takes the infant and does as asked. As soon as the gas is out, Dylan falls back to sleep almost instantly. Abe puts his son in the crib and returns to the bed only to be handed his sleeping daughter.

"I've already burped her," she informs him in an emotionless voice.

He takes the little one and places her in the crib next to her brother. He watches as they wiggle around in their sleep until they're snuggled up to each other. He smiles and turns back to the bed to find Maggie has crawled back under the covers and pulled them tight against her body.

He glances at the clock and sees that it's just past four in the morning. This is his normal swimming time, so he heads out the door. Just before he shuts the door, a muffled noise catches his attention. He opens the door back up and he can hear her crying into her pillow. He quickly crosses the room and as he steps up to the bed he's assailed by emotions of self loathing and her thoughts.

_Fat. Ugly. Doesn't want me anymore. Rather be in Jersey then with me._

Before he even thinks about what he's doing, he strips himself down to his shorts and slides under the covers with her. He finds her curled into a fetal position, hugging her pillow as she sobs her emotional pain into it. He molds his body to hers and holds her as he whispers his love and need for her both with his mouth and his mind.

When she finally calms enough to relax into his embrace, he kisses her shoulder causing a shiver to run down her spine. Encouraged by this reaction, his hands begin to wander as he starts to press kisses up her neck until he finds her ear and then he begins to nibble. She gives a soft moan and she leans back into him. His moves become bolder until she pulls away.

For a second he thinks he's done something wrong until she rolls over, wraps an arm around his torso, a leg around his hips, pulls him closer and kisses him. For the longest time all he can think about is how wonderful it feels to have her in his arms. Then she starts kissing his gills and all thought stops.

He's not sure how, but as some point they both lay naked with the exception of the night bra that she refuses to take off. As disappointed as he is with not being able to have access to that part of her body, he doesn't waste time thinking about it as he takes advantage of the rest of her body.

He spends more than half an hour letting her know how beautiful he thinks she is and how much he desires her. As they reach completion together, the familiar sharing of memories and feelings occurs and he now truly understands how hurt she's been. They lay there for some time as her breathing and their heart rates slowly return to normal.

"I love you more than anything, Maggie," he whispers as he slides down and presses his forehead to hers. "But please understand that I can't just putter around the house doing nothing all day every day. It would drive me crazy."

"Do you want to go back?" she asks, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Yes and no," he answers as he shifts his position to lie next to her. "I want to feel like I'm making a difference in the world but I don't want to leave you. I've already lost you once; I don't think I could handle losing you again. Please come back with me."

"I guess I have to," she concedes with a sad sigh. "Where my heart goes, I must follow."

He purrs his happiness as she snuggles up to him and with a sigh of contentment, falls asleep. At first he just gladly lies there absorbing her heat with the elation of knowing that she's going back with him. And let's face it; after a four month dry spell, he's just happy to finally be getting sex again.

As much as he would like to stay there forever, he knows he needs to get into the water. He glances at the clock again and sees that it's nearly five. He grabs his shorts and slips into them, ignoring the rest of the gear; he quickly heads out and down to the ocean.

At first, his main intent is just to swim around and get some exercise in. But after a few minutes he realizes that he's already gotten a workout. With a rather contented smile, he wraps himself up in the stipe of a strand of seaweed and falls asleep.

* * *

Around six, Peg and Susan slip into the Maggie's bedroom, pick up the just waking babies and quietly exit the room again, barely registering Abe's gear lying on the floor. They head downstairs and go to the kitchen where the bottles of warmed expressed milk await them. They then retire to the family room where they can feed the little darlings in peace.

"Think Maggie will leave with Abe?" Peg asks Susan not bothering to look up from the precious bundle in her arms.

"More than likely," Susan answers. "I know that you hate to see them go, but they both have responsibilities back on the East Coast."

"I finally get part of my family back and I feel like I'm losing her all over again," Peg sadly sighs.

"I understand perfectly," Susan replies. "I felt the same way when Rupert and Selma moved out here."

"I wish I had a chance to meet your son," Peg states. "Guillermo said all sorts of nice things about him. I just wish Simon hadn't been so bullheaded about an Air Mage kissing our little girl."

"If wishes were horses…," Susan starts.

"…then beggars would ride," Peg finishes.

They both fall into a comfortable silence as they continue feeding the babies. As they're finishing up, they hear someone moving around and they both look at the door just as Hodson walks in.

"Maggie or Abe up yet?" Hodson groggily asks.

"Not yet," Susan replies.

"Abe must have skipped his swim this morning," Peg states. "I saw his gear all over the bedroom floor when we went in to get the babies."

"Must have had another rough night," Hodson muses with a yawn as she toddles off to the kitchen to make coffee.

"Makes me glad that we all moved to rooms farther down the hall from them," Peg mutters.

"Amen to that," Susan replies.

* * *

Around 8:00 Maggie comes wandering downstairs showered, dressed, looking very relaxed and carrying a couple bottles of milk. The great-grandmothers finished feeding the twins, burping them and changing their diapers and clothes some time ago. The twins are currently sitting in their bouncy chairs sleeping while Hodson and Peg watch the news and Susan is off to the side reading a book.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Susan greets as Maggie steps into the room.

"Good morning, everyone," Maggie replies with a sly smile planted firmly on her face. "Where's Abe?"

"We haven't seen him," Peg answers. "I thought he was upstairs with you. I saw his gear all over the floor so I just assumed that he was in the tub."

"No, he's not in the bathroom," Maggie responds thoughtfully a furrow in her brow replaces the smile. "Has anyone checked the rest of the house?"

The other women shake their heads 'no' in response causing Maggie's frown to deepen. A bit concerned, Maggie goes in search of her husband. After putting the bottles in the fridge, she checks all of his usual haunts and then searches the rest of the house, coming up empty. She returns to the family room in full worry mode.

Before she can voice her fears, the noise of the twins waking makes her stop. With the sound of their little whimpers she can feel her milk coming down. She knows that if she doesn't hurry and get the twins latched on, she's going to have to change a soaking wet top. So with the help of Hodson, she begins to nurse the babies while sitting in the middle of the couch.

"I can't find Abe in the house," she states, still upset despite the relaxing effects of nursing.

"If he went for a swim, he could still be out in the ocean," Peg says. "The sun's been up for some time and we're still having a problem with trespassers."

"Has anyone called the police?" Maggie asks.

"I called them yesterday," Susan answers. "They said that they'd get someone out here today to look into it."

"I hope he's ok," Maggie says anxiously.

* * *

When Abe finally peels back both sets of eyelids, he notices the sun streaming through the kelp fronds creating a beautifully serene picture before him as he's gently rocked in the ocean's embrace. Something's wrong with this scene but it takes his sleep fogged brain several minutes before it registers what the problem is. In near blind panic he swims towards shore and nearly cuts himself in two.

After disentangling himself from the seaweed he's wrapped up in, he quickly heads for the beach. About fifty feet from shore he stops short at the sight of several surfboards with legs floating above him. They're far enough back that the waves they intend to ride are forming closer to shore. He stays pretty far back and carefully breaks the surface of the water, only letting the top half of his head emerge. This is enough for him to see and hear what's going on and he sees about a half dozen cops standing on the shore watching the surfers.

"Get a load of the cops," one of the surfers snorts.

"What's with them?" another one asks.

"Don't know," answers a third. "Not really caring. Not like we're doing anything wrong."

"Actually, yes, we are," the only female replies.

"Dude, since when is surfing wrong?" demands the third surfer turning towards the woman.

"Dude, it's not the surfing that's wrong; it's the beach," she responds. "That's a private beach we came out on."

"How do you know that?" number three asks.

"The sign we passed saying 'No Trespassing Private Property' was a pretty big clue," she testily replies.

"Shit," mutters the first guy. "Now what do we do? I don't want to get a ticket."

"Forget ticket, man," number two responds. "Depending on how big an asshole the property owner is we could get arrested."

"So much for telling the boss I was too sick to come in today," mumbles number one.

"My girlfriend is going to kill me," bitches the third guy. "She thinks I'm visiting my sick aunt."

"Hey, what's the prob?" the woman asks. "It's not like they're going to come out after us. We can just hang out here until they leave or we paddle over to a public beach."

"We have to get past that rocky outcrop to get there though," number two points out, nodding his head towards said rocks.

"So, you took up surfing because it's a nice safe sport, is that it?" she taunts. "Which would you rather do? Go around a rocky outcropping or get arrested?"

Abe's heard enough as they keep discussing what to do and so he sinks back under the waves pretty well ticked off. Not only are these jerks keeping him from returning to his wife and children, but they think they're above the law, plus his stomach is starting to growl. Then something the woman said sparks an idea. If he had the ability to create large facial movements, he would have an evil look on his face The Grinch would be proud to own.

He carefully swims up underneath the group of lawbreakers and gently 'touches' their minds with a subtle suggestion. Then he pushes on the back end of one of the boards just enough to jostle it, but not to capsize its rider. After that, he swims up to another surfer and brushes against that one's leg, knowing that there's know way they can tell that his skin doesn't feel anything like shark skin through the wetsuits they're all wearing.

"Shit!" yells number one as he grabs the sides of his board. "Something just bumped my board!"

"Holy crap!" the woman shrieks. "Something just brushed against my leg."

"Get your legs up on your boards," number two shouts. "It'll get bored and go away if we don't look like food."

The others quickly comply and Abe growls to himself. These jerks weren't going to be so easy to get rid of as he had hoped. He watches for a few minutes and then notices the guy whose board he bumped isn't holding onto the sides of the board like the others.

He swiftly swims up to that board and slams into it with his arms causing the surfer to fall into the drink. While he's still disoriented, Abe pushes him farther down into the water as he heads deeper. Letting go only after the surfer is good and scared and thoroughly convinced that there's something dangerous in the water.

Abe watches from a safe distance as the surfer he dunked gets back onto his board and paddles for all he's worth back towards the shore. Two of the others join him, leaving him to deal with one last very stubborn surfer. He takes a quick glance above the water and notes it's the woman who's been left behind. He figures she's incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, he's not sure which.

He submerges once more and then tries bumping her board a couple of times, but she doesn't move. He can't believe how stubborn this gal is. She's left him with no choice but to get really nasty.

Going down to the bottom, he launches himself towards the surface like a blue torpedo, swimming for all he's worth. He leaps out of the water and lands on the surf board right behind her.

"Get out of my ocean," he hisses in her ear.

She turns around, looks at him and lets out a scream that could rival Maggie just as he slides off the board and back under the waves. In a matter of seconds she's headed towards shore going as fast as she can paddle. He follows behind her and as they reach the breaking surf, he goes and steals among the rocks of the outcropping they were thinking about going around.

He watches from his hiding spot as the woman nearly breaks her neck in her quest to get onto dry land. A couple of the cops help her to her feet as she starts to hysterically babble about some blue monster being out the water and nearly eating her.

"Only in your dreams, lady," he quietly smirks.

He continues to watch as the cops lead the foursome away in handcuffs, the boards being cataloged and tagged as evidence. He waits until they're long gone before he finally sneaks out of the water and heads back up to the house.

* * *

Maggie paces the floor as the others can only helplessly watch. Peg and Susan have taken possession on the kids while their mother tries to worry a hole in the area rug. She's scared to death not knowing what's going on with Abe. Is he ok? Has he been eaten by a shark? Is Lewis still alive and somehow figured out where they are and stolen him away?

The police called some time ago saying that they were sending someone out to get rid of any trespassers. Instead of reassuring her, this has given her another set of things to fret about. What if he's spotted? What if Manning finds out and makes him go back to the bureau? What if…?

Before she can go into full out panic, someone rings the doorbell. She practically flies to the door and almost manages to rip it from its hinges. Standing in front of her is a police officer and behind him are a couple patrol cars with their engines idling. She can see at least three men wearing wetsuits in the back seats of the vehicles.

"Hi, I'm Officer Trainor," the man greets. "Someone called about a problem with trespassers."

"Yes, my grandmother did," Maggie replies.

"Well, we caught four of them surfing just off your beach," he informs her. "We spotted their tracks in the sand so we're fairly sure they had to trespass on your beach to get out there."

"Four? I only see three," she states in confusion.

"Oh, yea, the lady that was with them had to be taken to the hospital," he replies. "She came in pretty wigged out. Claimed that there was some blue monster out in the water that wanted to eat her. They'll sedate her and then we'll see if we can get some sense out of her."

"Oh, really? Isn't that funny?" she laughs as she can feel herself relax with relief and then tense up again upon the realization the blue oaf got himself seen. "A blue monster? How funny."

"Yea, well, there's something out there that spooked the lot of them to come in to shore despite the fact that we were standing right there," he informs her. "You might want to be careful if you decide to go swimming any time soon."

"Oh, I will, officer, thank you," she smiles.

"If you have any more problems don't hesitate to call us," he says.

"We will, thank you," she responds.

They say their goodbyes and she quietly closes the door. A nearly silent footstep on the marble floor tells her she has company.

"Are you trying to get Manning out here?" she growls, not bothering to turn around.

"They weren't planning on getting out of the water any time soon and I was getting hungry," Abe answers as he steps up behind her and she can practically hear him shrug. "Besides, I was starting to miss you."

"And if Manning finds out, he'll be out here faster than you can say 'constipation' to drag you back to New Jersey," she snaps, rapidly nearing tears. "You're supposed to come back before daybreak so no one will see you."

"I fell asleep," he explains as he wraps his arms around her. "My beautiful sex goddess wore me out."

His skin is so soft, cool and moist against her own warm hide and it feels so good that she nearly melts into him. She tries to fight the feeling of love and safety those arms bring her, she tries to stay angry with him, but when he starts to gently kiss her neck, it's a lost cause. With a whimper of defeat, she leans into him and lets her head roll to the side so he can have easier access to her neck which he gladly accepts. In very short order he has her panting and her heart pounding as her body responds to his advances.

"Who was at the door, dear?" Susan asks from across the entry way.

Maggie lets out a startled 'eep' as she all but jumps out of her overheated skin, causing Abe to chuckle.

"It was the police letting us know that they've arrested some trespassers," Abe answers as he holds Maggie up as her legs no longer seem to be working.

"Well, that's good," Susan replies. "Peg and I are going to start making lunch. You've made so many meals for us; we thought you'd like a break."

"I don't mind, really," he states.

"Well, then you can help when you're ready," Susan states and then finally notices Maggie's silence. "Margaret, are you alright, child?"

"She's fine," he assures the concerned grandmother. "She's just a little light headed. She'll be fine in a moment."

"Alright then, we'll be in the kitchen if you need us," Susan responds as she turns and leaves.

"And whose fault is it that I nearly had a heart attack?" Maggie demands as soon as her grandmother is out of earshot.

"Wait until I get you alone later," he promises just before he kisses her on the cheek.

He quickly lets go of her and she barely manages to keep from falling on her backside as he dashes up the stairs. She gives an exasperated snort and heads for the family room to get the twins. When she enters, they're still asleep in their bouncy chairs and the TV is playing to a nearly empty room. She carefully collects the twins into her arms and then heads back towards the dining room. Once they're safely deposited into the bassinette, she heads back to the family room to turn off the TV.

As she searches for the remote she idly wonders why any one would want to watch CNN since they seem to only report about death and destruction. She finally locates the remote and turns towards the TV ready to zap it until she sees what's on the screen. The remote drops from nerveless fingers as she faints dead away.


	2. Bruised

Abe is just coming down the stairs after putting his gear back on when he hears a strange 'THUMP.' He goes towards the direction the sound came from and finds himself in the family room. He sees that the room appears empty and the TV has been left on. He turns to leave when something catches his eye. He takes a closer look and if he breathed air he would have stopped breathing.

"MAGGIE!" he yells as he dashes to his wife's side.

She's lying on the floor between the couch and the coffee table with her feet sticking out just past the end of the couch. It's her feet that caught his attention and brought him to her side. He roughly pushes the table out of the way, rips the gloves off of his hand and begins to examine her. A second later, Dr. Hodson comes running into the room with Peg and Susan hot on her heels.

"What happened?" the doctor demands.

"She's fainted," Abe answers as he continues his exam. "She hit her head on the coffee table on the way down. The concussion is fairly minor, but she's going to have one heck of a goose egg on her forehead and there will be bruising. She's also going to have a monster headache when she wakes up. We should keep an eye on her for the next twenty-four hours to make sure there's no other damage. I'm going to take her up to our room. She should stay in bed until tomorrow."

With that Abe carefully lifts Maggie into his arms and very gingerly carries her upstairs.

"Peg, would you please get Maggie a glass of water and a bag of ice wrapped in a towel?" Hodson asks. "Susan, would you please take the twins upstairs and put them in their crib? I'll go get some smelling salts and pain pills."

The other two women nod their agreement and the three go to do their separate tasks. Hodson arrives in the master bedroom first. After putting the pills on the nightstand, she breaks open the smelling salts and sticks them under Maggie's nose. Maggie grimaces and lets out a pain filled groan. A few moments later, Peg and Susan enter the room. As Susan goes to put the babies in their crib, Peg brings the water and ice to the doctor just as Maggie's opening her eyes.

"Abe, please help her sit up so she can take the pain pills," Hodson requests.

Abe very gently lifts Maggie up enough so that she can sip some water before Hodson gives Maggie the pills. Maggie pops them in her mouth with a wince and quickly swallows as Abe lays her back down. Then Hodson hands Maggie the bag of ice while Susan and Peg stand at the end of the bed watching.

"Put this on your face for fifteen minutes every hour," Hodson instructs.

"What happened?" Maggie asks as she does as she's told.

"You fainted," Abe replies. "You hit your head when you fell."

"Do you know why you fainted?" Hodson inquires.

"I don't remember," Maggie croaks after thinking about it for a few seconds. "I remember looking for the remote to the TV and finding it, but after that everything is a blank until I woke up here."

"That's alright," Hodson assures her. "Maybe you'll remember later. Get some rest now. Someone will bring up lunch in a little bit. Abe, would you please stay with her?"

"Try and make me leave," Abe responds, never taking his eyes off of his wife's face.

"Good," Hodson smiles as she turns to leave. "Come on, ladies. There's a lunch to be made."

With that the three women exit the room leaving behind a worried husband and his bruised wife.

* * *

"Why do you suppose…?" Peg begins to ask just after they leave the room but is stopped by Susan's violent head shake.

They walk down the hall and then descend the stairs before heading for the kitchen in silence.

"It should be safe to ask your question now," Susan states as they walk down another hallway.

"Well, I was going to ask why do you think Maggie fainted," Peg starts. "But now I'm curious as to why you stopped me."

"Air Mages have very sensitive hearing and I am positive that we were well within Maggie's ear shot," Susan replies. "I can only wonder what happened in the family room."

"It was probably a combination of things," Hodson adds as they step into the kitchen. "She barely ate anything for breakfast, she was going crazy with worry about Abe and after finding the remote which always seems to end up on the floor when we're not looking, she probably stood up to fast."

The next several minutes are spent discussing the menu and then pulling out the ingredients and other items needed to prepare the meal. As everyone gets down to their tasks, the conversation turns to Air Mages.

"So, Air Mages have sensitive hearing," Peg muses while buttering slices of bread for the sandwiches. "That must be handy in keeping track of the kids, especially when they're getting in mischief."

"Yes and no," Susan replies as she stirs a pot of soup. "Keeping track of the kids is all well and good, but loud noises hurt horribly."

"That's right; I remember reading a report on how Maggie collapsed when faced with sirens," Hodson adds while she mixes the tuna fish with mayonnaise.

"Oh, she did so hate sirens when we would go into town as a child," Susan reminisces. "She would cover her ears with her hands until they were long gone."

"I don't think that was the siren the report was talking about," Hodson replies with a kind smile. "I believe they were faced with the creatures from Greek mythology."

"Where in the world would she meet one of those things?" Susan asks, stunned. "She never told me that she went to Greece with the bureau."

"I believe they were actually in New York City," Hodson answers. "She and Sharon were at a bar when the siren started to sing."

"What kind of bar would let one of those things sing?" Susan wonders.

"A karaoke bar," Hodson responds.

"They would never," Susan gasps, horrified.

"According to the report that's where they were when the sirens attack," Hodson states with a shrug. "I only know what the report said. You might want to ask Maggie or Sharon about it."

"Believe me, I will," Susan hisses as she continues to stir the pot so violently that some of the soup splashes out onto the stove top.

A while later, lunch is ready and a tray is prepared to be taken upstairs for Abe and Maggie. After a brief discussion about who will bring the tray up, Hodson prevails on the context that she wants to check in on her patient. What she doesn't state is that she doesn't want Susan harassing Maggie about something that happened over a year ago.

* * *

When Hodson enters the bedroom, she finds Maggie lying on her side with her head pillowed on Abe's lap and her eyes closed. Abe greets the doctor with a small smile as he strokes Maggie's hair with his bare hand.

"How is she?" Hodson asks Abe.

"Feeling like she got hit in the face with a frying pan," Maggie answers without opening her eyes.

"That good, huh?" Hodson quietly chuckles. "I brought lunch for you two. You should eat it while it's still warm. It'll make you feel better."

"I doubt that," Maggie grumbles as she slowly and carefully sits up.

"Have you nursed since you got up here?" Hodson inquires.

"They woke shortly after everyone left," Abe answers. "Fortunately, they went right back to sleep after a diaper change and food."

"Did you have any problems nursing?" Hodson questions as she sets the tray down.

"Other than having a throbbing headache, no," Maggie replies.

"That's good," Hodson sighs. "If they do get to be too much, just let us know and we'll take them for a while."

"No, that's ok," Maggie moans. "Besides, I haven't gotten around to washing the breast pump equipment yet."

"That's ok, I'll take care of it," Hodson offers to which Maggie gladly nods. "Now eat up, you two, before your food gets cold. I'll bring up a fresh bag of ice when I come to get the tray later."

With that, Hodson collects the previously mentioned equipment and the half melted bag of ice and leaves the two in peace to eat their lunch.

* * *

After eating their own lunches and cleaning up the kitchen, Hodson, Susan and Peg retire to the family room where they find that the TV is still on after all this time. Peg pushes the coffee table back in place as Susan picks up Abe's gloves that he left on the floor. After searching for a moment, the remote is discovered not far from where Maggie collapsed. Before the channel can be changed, CNN returns from its commercial break with their top story which leaves them all stunned.

"Dear, merciful heavens," Susan gasps.

"Oh my god," Peg chokes out.

"Wow," is all Hodson can say.


	3. Discovered

Tears are flowing freely down the faces of Peg and Susan while Hodson sits there too stunned to move for a moment. A second later the doctor is out of her seat and charging across the house at break neck speed. She's not sure how she gets up all those stairs without collapsing from exhaustion, but she does it and is down the hall in a flash.

She bursts into the master bedroom barely noting that Maggie was trying to sleep and Abe is acting as her pillow again as he reads a book. Hodson dashes across the room to the TV set on the bureau, turns it on and suddenly draws a blank for the channel she wants.

"What's the channel for CNN?" she demands.

Abe blinks his nictitating membranes and then his eyes get wider. He tells Hodson the number as he begins to strip out of his top. Maggie starts to sit up, a look of confusion on her face while Hodson changes the channel. As soon as the program comes on, the doctor moves out of the way of the TV.

Maggie looks at the TV and then gasps. Abe quickly pulls her into his arms as she starts to shake and the tears soon follow.

* * *

"So what do you think, Sparky?" Hellboy asks as he starts going through a pile of movies. "Should we introduce him to _City Lights_ or _The Great Dictator_?"

"I like _City Lights _better," Liz replies while she tries to hold onto Trevor as he attempts to grab the twitching tail of the cat on the back of the couch. "Not as political."

"Ok, City Lights it is," HB agrees as he pulls the tape out from a pile of others, causing them to fall off and scatter across the table they were on.

Hellboy steps over the fallen tapes, ignoring them as Liz just gives a tolerant smile and shakes her head. While Hellboy is getting the movie ready, Liz looks around at some of the other TVs that are still playing. Some are showing cartoons, a few are turned off, a couple as showing video of Trevor at various stages of his little life and one is actually showing CNN.

A name flashed onto the screen catches her eye and she brings her focus onto that lone TV. She can feel the blood leave her face as her grip on Trevor loosens enough for him to grab the tail that he's been trying to grab. A yowling cat draws Hellboy's attention away from what he's doing.

The stunned look on Liz's face has him bewildered, but he decides to take care of the louder problem first. He steps up to the couch and manages to get his son to release the poor kitty's tail. HB lifts Trevor up into his arms as he waves a hand in front of Liz's mesmerized face.

"Red, look," she whispers, pointing at the TV with CNN on it.

"Holy…," he mutters.

"Guillermo," she nearly shouts as she jumps up.

She tears out of the room with Hellboy close behind with Trevor still in his arms. Trevor is enjoying himself immensely and giggling his approval of all the fun. They burst into the library a few moments later to find Guillermo behind his desk working quietly.

"Where's the fire, you two?" Guillermo jokes.

Liz ignores him as she rushes over to the single TV in the entire room and turns it on. It takes her a few seconds to find the right channel, but as soon as she does, the smile on Guillermo's face disappears as his eyes grow really wide and the color leaves his face. He watches the TV in stunned silence totally unaware of the tears leaving trails down his cheeks or the ragged breathing. A few seconds later John comes bursting into the room.

"What's going on?" John asks Hellboy. "One of the other agents saw you charging towards the library and told me."

Hellboy doesn't answer but just points towards the TV.

"Oh, jeez," John gasps. "Is that…?"

"Yes," Guillermo interrupts. "I need to call Maggie."

With that, he picks up the phone and starts dialing.

* * *

Abe sits on the bed with Maggie betweens his legs and wrapped in his arms. She clings to him like her life depends on it, never taking her eyes off the TV. When the phone rings, he reaches over and answers it.

"Hello?...Hola, Guillermo…Yes, she's watching it right now…She's in a state of shock, but I think she's going to be ok…I think that would be good. See you soon, my friend. Adios, Guillermo."

Abe hangs up the phone and puts his arm back around his wife, pulling even closer to him.

"Guillermo says he's going to catch the next flight out to San Francisco," he quietly whispers in her ear.

"I'm not dreaming am I?" she begs, turning pleading eyes up to him.

He looks back at the TV at the picture of the older couple on the screen. They're very thin, their skin is extremely weather worn but they have a sparkle to their eyes that can only be described as elation.

"No, my love, your not dreaming," he assures her. "You parents are alive."


	4. Waiting

**Author's note:** I've just upped the rating of this story to M, so please do not read if you're under the age of 17.

* * *

"_Our top story for this evening is the discovery of multi-millionaire Rupert Cavendish and his wife Selma. Discovered alive on an uninhabited island off the southern tip of the Hawaiian Islands by a passing charter fishing boat that was lost after being blown off course by a sudden gust of wind. This couple has been presumed dead for nearly twenty-four years…"_

Selma turns off the TV and stares at the blank screen for several moments before turning towards her husband with a look of amazement on it. He gazes back from his spot next to her on the bed. They're crammed together in the hospital bed that she was assigned; his bed stands empty across the room. With a sigh she rests her head on his chest and he pulls her closer being mindful of the two IV lines that are connected to needles stuck in the back of their hands.

"I still can't believe we're here," she says as she drops the remote onto her lap and then wraps her arm around his emaciated middle. "If you told me twenty-four hours ago that we'd be sitting in a hospital in Honolulu I would have laughed in your face."

"And I wouldn't have blamed you," he replies as he rests his head on top of hers. "It's weird to be under a roof again after all this time. I had given up hope that we'd ever be found."

"Me too," she agrees. "It still boggles the mind. My only complaint is that we haven't been able to get hold of Maggie yet."

"They said that her number is unlisted," he replies. "They want to make sure it is her and not some imposter hoping to get our 'money.'"

"Right," she scoffs. "What money? When we were declared dead everything went to Maggie. We have nothing."

"We have each other," he reminds her as rubs a hand up and down her arm. "What more could we want?"

"How about clothes that don't have a breezeway up the back," she chuckles.

"Ok, there's that, but they're better than the rags that we were wearing, not to mention that they're clean," he points out.

"A razor," she states after a few seconds of silence. "I'm tired of having legs that are hairier than a gorilla's."

"True, I am a bit tired of the hippy look," he replies as he pushes his long hair that rivals his wife's back over his shoulder before scratching at his beard that would make ZZ Top green with envy.

"Maggie," she whispers. "I want my baby back."

"Me too, sweetheart, me too," he whispers back into her hair as he holds her closer and he feels the front of his hospital gown start to get wet.

* * *

"ARGH!" Maggie screams in frustration as she slams the phone back down onto its cradle.

"Breaking the phone won't help," Abe gently points out.

"I can't believe this!" she shouts, ignoring his comment as she begins to pace around the room. "They won't let me talk to them, they won't tell me where they are, and to add insult to injury, they don't believe me when I tell them who I am!"

"They are just trying to protect them," he says as he strips his top off once more.

"But I'm their DAUGHTER!" She yells, turning towards him with tears of frustration burning her eyes.

"I know, my love, I know," he replies as he pulls her into his arms.

She wraps her arms around him and as she clings to him for dear life, he's once more thankful that he doesn't need lungs to breathe. They stand like that for several minutes while Maggie gets his skin wet with her tears. After she finally calms down, he brings up a thought that's been mulling around in his head.

"I think I know someone who might be able to help," he suggests.

"Who?" she asks, not looking up at him because she's dreading the answer.

"Manning," he answers.

"No," she growls.

She pushes away from him and stalks out the back door, anger radiating off of her. Susan passes her coming into the family room. She looks from her granddaughter to Abe and back again before crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at Abe.

"What did you do this time?" she demands.

"I suggested that we ask Manning for help in finding her parents," he replies as he picks up his top and starts to put it back on.

"Are you trying to get your gills ripped off?" she asks in disbelief. "Margaret barely tolerates the man and you expect her to want to be indebted to him? If I didn't know better I would swear you had gone completely mad."

"He's not that bad," he states as he buckles the last buckle.

"Who's not that bad?" Peg asks as she walks into the room from the hallway.

"Manning," Susan huffs. "He wants to ask Manning for help."

"I've only met the guy once and I didn't like him," Peg replies. "I can't say as I'd want to ask him for help for anything either unless it was a dire emergency."

"You ask that man for help and you might as well hand your children over to him on a silver platter," Susan puts in. "The man doesn't have a shred of human decency."

"That's not true," Abe replies. "He's the one who told the Australian government where to stick it when Maggie was almost raped."

"WHAT?" Peg and Susan shriek in unison and both pinning Abe with glares that would even make Hellboy nervous.

"And when the blazes did this happen?" Susan demanded.

"Almost a year ago," Abe answers. "We were in Australia investigating a case involving a baginis. The folklore expert that was brought in on the case tried to rape her."

"I bet she gave him a good what fore," Susan states proudly. "Probably taught him a thing or two about messing with a Mage."

"Actually, no, she didn't," Abe hesitantly replies. "He had her trapped. The baginis saved her."

"And what exactly is a bag-a-whatsit?" Peg asks.

"A baginis is a creature that's half woman and half animal that rapes men," Abe responds. "It seems she prefers rapists and after she's done with them, they are unable to perform again."

"Perform what?" Susan questions.

"Umm," Abe stalls.

"Never mind, I think I can figure it out for myself," Susan mutters before narrowing her eyes at him. "So where were you when all this happened?"

"I was out in the desert with Hellboy trying to draw the baginis out," Abe explains. "We didn't realize that she was only targeting rapists. When Maggie's voice came over that radio saying that the baginis took Taylor, my heart nearly stopped. I knew there was something wrong. Her voice was full of fear and anger and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with the baginis. When we got to the area that the baginis took the slime I was about ready to crawl out of my own scales with worry. When we arrived, I picked up what happened between Maggie and the scuzball and I wanted to rip him limb from limb. Maggie stopped me, but I at least got to break his nose. After that, Manning told the Australian government that we won't be helping them with their supernatural problems until further notice because of the attack on Maggie. On the plus side, Taylor's other victims started to come out of the woodwork and charges were pressed against him. I believe he's currently rotting in a jail cell near Sydney."

There are several moments of silence as the others digest this information.

"While that proves there's a human being hiding somewhere under that expensive suit, it doesn't change the fact that he's a bureaucrat through and through," Dr. Hodson states from the doorway. Everyone's a bit startled since no one heard her come in. "I've heard him talking about your kids and Trevor. He's using them as a way to get more funding for the bureau. He was absolute ecstatic when he learned that Maggie was going to have twins. He said he was 'getting two for the price of one.' I went through a lot of effort to give Maggie a chance to bond with the twins before Manning would get a chance to start interfering, please don't ruin all the work I've done."

"What do you mean?" Abe asks, head tilting to the side.

"I mean that if I had been completely honest with Manning, the lot of you would have been back in New Jersey a few weeks ago," Hodson replies.

"You lied…?" Abe starts, totally confused.

"Listen, I've seen the way he looks at Trevor and I know how Manning would like to treat him," Hodson explains. "If Hellboy and Liz weren't his parents, chances are he'd be being raised by some scientists by now. You and Maggie aren't nearly as frightening to him as they are, so he thinks he can do what he wants with the twins once he gets them back to Jersey. You ask for his help and you'll be giving him what he wants. And you'll be breaking your wife's heart. Is that what you want?"

"No," he whispers.

"Good, now go find her, tell her you're sorry and then get her back here," Hodson instructs as she gently pushes Abe towards the door Maggie exited. "Sooner or later someone is going to be in contact with her about her parents."

Abe simply nods and leaves without another word. The others start to give out sighs of relief until they hear the babies wake for their next feeding.

* * *

Abe finds Maggie holed up in one of the old stalls in biggest barn. She's found a couple moth eaten horse blankets that have seen much better days and she's using one to sit on while the other is draped over her shoulders. Her knees are pulled up to her chest, her forehead is resting on her knees and it's obvious that she's been crying.

He slides into the stall, strips off his top and gloves again, idly wondering if it would be possible to make him a top that was easier to get in and out of, and sits next to her on the blanket. He reaches over and pulls her towards him. She doesn't fight him as he nearly pulls her into his lap. Instead she just sighs and rubs her cheek against his uniquely textured skin.

They don't talk for some time, but instead sit in a comfortable silence as she carefully traces the stripes on his sides and he gently strokes her shoulder length hair. She can feel him draw breath to speak so she stops tracing his stripes and puts her fingers over his mouth.

He releases the air and kisses the fingers pressed to his lips causing a shiver to run down her spine. She pulls the fingers away and starts to caress his chest and stomach muscles, tracing lines with her nails just above his shorts. A deep groan resonates out of his chest and he can feel her smile against his chest.

He pushes her back enough so that his lips can claim hers in a mind searing kiss. By the time he lets her up for air; her rather deft fingers have found the zipper to his shorts and unzipped them. This is lucky for him since they were starting to get unbearably tight.

He grabs the bottom of her top and she simply holds her arms up as he strips her of the article of clothing. He reaches for her bra and she pushes his hands away as she moves to straddle his lap and then sits on his legs. She kisses him, pinning him to the wall as his hands start to roam over warm flesh before finding the elastic band of her sweats and slides inside of the garment. Nimble fingers find the clasps to his respirator as lips and tongues perform an erotic dance.

As soon as the last piece of equipment is put to the side, he lifts her off of his lap and strips her of her sweats and panties, stopping when he gets to the shoes on her feet. She quickly toes off her tennis shoes and he finishes the job. Once those are tossed to the side, she goes after his shorts. Forcing him to sit up on his knees, she slowly starts to peel off the most stubborn piece of his attire while she leaves a trail of hot wet kisses down his chest and stomach.

A moan escapes from him as her lips go lower, but as soon as the shorts are pulled down to mid-thigh, she pushes him back down onto his backside with his back to the wall. She finishes divesting him of his shorts and then slowly kisses her way back up his legs. By the time she's made it to his upper thighs, he's fairly sure he's going to explode from need.

"Maggie," he says in a strangled whisper.

"Something wrong, my love?" she coyly asks as she retakes her position straddling his legs, but not sitting this time.

"Only if you don't sit down," he growls as he holds his very hard shaft still for her.

She smiles, kisses him and then slowly lowers herself down onto his rod. They both moan with the pleasure of his coolness entering her hot, wet center. After making sure her legs are in proper position, she starts to move up and down on him. Sounds that she didn't dare make this morning when they were in bed, she more than gladly makes now.

He holds onto her, reveling in the feeling of her riding him. It takes every ounce of control he has not to finish this too quickly, to make sure she finds her pleasure. He tries to match her movements as best he can from his rather awkward spot, but he manages to thrust his hips up on her downward strokes. Soon, she's moving faster and the cries become louder. He grabs her hips and few moments later she's screaming his name as she goes flying over the precipice.

* * *

The babies have been fed and changed and the great-grandmothers gladly play with the little ones coxing coos and smiles from the little ones. While they're making funny faces and using ridiculous voices at the twins, the phone rings. Peg is closest and not really paying attention to what she's doing when she reaches out and picks up the handset.

"Hello?" she nearly laughs as Dylan gives her another toothless smile.

Susan listens with a half ear as she plays with Morgan. Suddenly, her attention changes as Peg's voice changes from laughing to shocked. She sees the look on her friend's face and hears the voice on the other end of the line.

Clutching Morgan to her breast, Susan is out of her seat and exiting of the room in a flash. Old body or not, she heads for the kitchen and the extension in there as fast as she can. She passes Hodson in the hall on her way to the other phone.

"The phone," Susan nearly shouts not quite able to get the words out as she shoots past the doctor. "Get Maggie!"

The near panic tone in Susan's voice is enough to make Hodson charge through the family room and out the back door that Maggie and Abe went through earlier. She's not sure which way to go until she notices the trampled long grasses leading out to the barns. Not wanting to wait another second, she runs full out towards the outer buildings under rapidly darkening sky.

* * *

Maggie lies across Abe's chest, panting and shaking from a combination of exertion and cooling sweat. Abe grabs the second horse blanket and wraps it around her again. After a few moments, she's lets off one last large shudder as he body adjusts to the lack of movement and the cooling air. As soon as he's sure she's recovered enough, his lips and hands start to wander over her body causing her to moan.

"We need to move," she whispers as she kisses his shoulder. "My legs aren't strong enough to do that again."

"Not a problem," he softly replies as he nibbles on her neck. "Hold onto me."

She complies just in time for him to flip her onto her back, managing to not only to get her onto the blanket already on the floor but to stay lodged within her. She gives a squeak of surprise and then a moan of pleasure as he slowly starts to move in and out of her. Soon the moans become cries that echo off of the walls of the stable, sending what few birds that remained in the rafters to take wing.

* * *

Hodson reaches the open door and stops just short as she can hear what's going on in there quite clearly. She can feel the blood flowing to the skin of her face and can imagine that she's redder than a cherry. It's one thing to talk to your patient about having intercourse with her husband, it's quite another thing hearing them going at it.

She's torn on what to do. She desperately wants to tell Maggie that there's an important phone call, but _really _doesn't want to interrupt the happy couple either. While she contemplates what to do, she can hear the cries coming to a fevered pitch. Hoping that she won't have long to wait, she simply stands guard outside the door.

* * *

He drives himself into her harder and faster, her screams of pleasure filling his head and pushing him closer to the edge. He tries to hold on for as long as possible and then he feels her walls contract around him as she yells his name at the top of her lungs causing him to follow her over the top, making a noise that can only be called primal. The familiar wash of memories and feelings flood through them like an old friend.

He collapses on top of her, trembling and his heart pounding. After a few moments, their lips find each other and they gently kiss as their bodies slowly calm down. After a few minutes, he pulls away, knowing that lying on top of her makes it hard for her to breathe. He lies down beside her as she curls up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He grabs the second blanket again and drapes it across the two of them. She lets out a contented sigh and closes her eyes.

"Maggie?" a quite voice calls from the barn door.

Both Maggie and Abe go stiff with surprise. After they both get their hearts out of their throats, they realize who it is.

"Yes, Doctor, what is it?" Maggie tries to ask in a normal voice but instead ends up squeaking.

"There's a phone call for you," Hodson replies, her own voice not quite normal.

Maggie casts a withering gaze at her husband as he tries not to burst out laughing, his body shaking from the effort.

"Can they call back later?" Maggie inquires.

"I think you want to take this call, Maggie," Hodson answers with a very serious tone to her voice this time.

Sigh.

"Very well, I'll be there in a minute," Maggie grumbles as she gets up and starts to get dressed.

Abe also starts to dress and couple of minutes later, they leave the barn, finding the doctor long gone. They follow the path of trampled grass back to the house and enter the family room. They find Peg sitting on the couch holding Dylan and talking on the phone. Once the older woman spots them she smiles though her cheeks are wet with tears.

"Ah, here she is, hold on a second," Peg tells the person on the other end.

Peg holds out the phone and Maggie walks up to her and takes it from her grandmother with a quizzical look on her face. Peg just smiles and Abe walks up behind his wife and wraps his arms around her middle. Still confused, Maggie puts the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Maggie asks in an uncertain voice.

"Hello, baby girl," a familiar woman's voice greets.

"Hey, little Magpie, how are you?" asks a just as familiar man's voice.

After a moment's silence, Maggie finally answers with a voice quavering with emotion.

"Mom? Daddy?"


	5. The Call

"Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish?" a gentle voice calls.

The sleeping couple groggily blink their eyes at the nurse who has woken them from their nap. They're still propped up in the one bed wrapped around each other. It's as if they're afraid to let go of each other in fear that this is only some sun stroke induced dream. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Yes," Rupert eventually croaks.

"You have a visitor," the nurse tells them.

They sit up a little straighter, their hearts beating faster with hope. When the silhouette of a man appears in the doorway, they both sink back down in disappointment. The man steps closer to the bed and he's smiling at the couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish, I'm Officer Tom Fisher," the plainclothesman introduces himself as he hands them a piece of paper. "I thought you would be interested in this."

Rupert takes the paper and holds it so that both he and Selma can see it. On the small piece of paper are ten numbers in a row. Hope returns to their faces as they turn back to the officer.

"Is this…?" Selma tries to ask, afraid that the answer will be negative.

"Here," Fisher says as he hands over a small device to them. "You can call your daughter on this."

Rupert takes it, turns it over in his hand is totally stymied about the object he holds.

"What is it?" Rupert asks.

"It's a cellular phone," Fisher smiles as he opens it up for them.

"Is this some type of joke?" Rupert asks incredulously. "This is a child's toy."

"It looks like something out of a science fiction show," Selma observes.

"It's a real phone," Fisher chuckles. "You just push in the numbers and then hit send. Don't forget to put a one in front of the area code."

"What about that phone?" Selma asks, pointing at the phone on the night stand.

"It doesn't dial out," Fisher explains. "It can only take incoming calls."

"There's no dial tone," Rupert states after holding the phone up to his ear.

"There's not supposed to be," Fisher replies, trying to not to laugh. "Here, let me set it for speaker mode and then you can both talk at the same time."

About a minute later, with their arms wrapped around each other and their hearts in their throats, Rupert hits the send button. On the second ring, the phone is answered by a woman who sounds like she's laughing.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" Selma gasps, instantly recognizing her mother's voice even though it's been well over thirty years since she last heard it.

"Selma? Is that you?" Peg responds with a shocked voice.

"Oh my god, Mom, what are you doing there?" Selma happily sobs, tears pouring down her face as Rupert smiles and kisses his wife's temple.

"I'm visiting my granddaughter that I didn't even know existed until a few months ago," Peg answers, her smile clearly evident over the phone.

"How could you not know?" Selma demands, a frown creasing her brown brow. "I sent you the birth announcement."

"I know you did, sweetie, but your father got to it first and hid it," Peg sadly replies. "He hid everything after you left. Steven and Sean found everything hidden in your father's desk a few months ago."

"Why…? How…? Who…?" Selma begs, trying to come up with a coherent question.

"Selma, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your father died just before this past Thanksgiving," Peg quietly tells her daughter as her breath catches in her throat. "He was in town when a former employee of the store he was in came in and started shooting up the place. The doctors say he never felt a thing."

No more words are said while Selma digests the news quietly with tears of pain, regret and sadness rolling down her face as Rupert holds her closer. A quiet click can be heard on the line as the silence stretches out to a nearly unbearable length.

"I suppose that I should introduce myself now," Rupert says, finally breaking the silence. "Mrs. Steele, I'm Rupert Cavendish, Selma's husband."

"Oh, merciful heavens," a new voice whispers.

"Mother? Are you there too?" Rupert asks in disbelief.

"Of course I'm here, child, where else would I be?" Susan admonishes without any malice.

"Is Father also there?" Rupert hopefully asks.

"Oh, son, I'm sorry," Susan chokes out. "He was killed by a drunk driver nearly seventeen years ago."

More silence follows as Rupert absorbs this news. Rupert and Selma can hear someone in the background talking, it sounds like a woman and their hearts start pounding in their chests once more.

"I've just been told that Maggie should be here in a few minutes," Peg tells them.

"Who was that you were talking to, Mom?" Selma asks.

"That was Dr. Hodson, she's Maggie's doctor," Peg explains.

"A doctor? What does she need a doctor for?" Rupert demands.

"That's a very long story and I think it would be best if Margaret told it to you," Susan answers. "But don't worry yourselves about it, there's nothing wrong with her. She just had some problems a while back and Dr. Hodson was here to take care of her."

"So the doctor is living there?" Selma inquires in confusion.

"Yes, and like Susan said, it's very long story," Peg replies as she hears the back door open to allow Maggie and Abe come into the room. "Ah, here she is, hold on a second."

They wait with bated breath as they can hear the phone handed over to another person, not even noticing the quiet click of the extension being hung up.

"Hello?" asks an uncertain voice.

After nearly two dozen years, the voice has changed, aged, matured, but it still obviously belongs to their little girl.

"Hello, baby girl," Selma greets.

"Hey, little Magpie, how are you?" Rupert asks.

After a moment's silence, Maggie finally answers with a voice quavering with emotion.

"Mom? Daddy?"

Abe's arms tighten around her as she can't seem to feel her legs anymore. He helps her onto the couch as she tries to catch her breath. He holds her close as even more tears trickle down her face.

"Oh, my god," Maggie gasps, the tears pouring down her face unheeded. "It wasn't a dream. You really are alive."

"That's right, sweetness, we're still alive," Selma laughs. "We've missed you so much. Sometimes, just the thought of seeing you again was all that kept us going. We're so sorry that we couldn't get back sooner."

Maggie can't respond as she's crying too hard from relief of them being alive to the pain of missing so many years with them. Abe simply holds her as the sobs wrack her body, his top lying on the couch next to them. After about a minute she manages to get herself under control enough to continue talking.

"I've missed you too," Maggie whispers. "I'm just afraid that I'm going to wake up and find out that this is just some sick dream."

"We're not a dream, Magpie," her father responds. "I promise."

Even with the hundreds of miles separating them, Maggie can still feel the power of that promise coming to her. She relaxes a little bit with a sigh and Abe kisses the top of her head.

"So, Maggie, what do you need a live-in doctor for?" Selma asks in concern.

"Oh, good heavens, that's a really, _really_ long story, Mom," Maggie chuckles. "Right now she's just helping out mostly, but I was having some difficulties a couple of months ago."

"With what?" Rupert demands worriedly.

"My pregnancy," Maggie answers, smiling.

There's a very pregnant pause as her parent's process the news.

"You're…you're pregnant?" Selma excitedly inquires.

"Well, not anymore," Maggie snickers.

"Boy or girl?" Rupert questions.

"Both," Maggie replies, grinning from ear to ear.

"Details, now!" Selma demands all but jumping up and down in the bed.

"They were born on March fifth…," Maggie responds.

"Wait a minute," Rupert suddenly interrupts before Maggie can give any more information about the twins. "If you had babies then that means you're married. When? Where? What's his name? What's he look like? What does he do for a living? When did you meet? How long did you two know each other before you Kissed? Who Kissed whom?"

"DADDY!" Maggie laughs, finally stopping father who's gone into over protective mode. "It's a little late to be getting out the rocking chair and shotgun. We're married and we have children."

"What's his name?" Rupert asks huffily.

"His name is Abe, he's very tall, he has eyes so blue you want to swim in them and he can read my mind," she answers as she stares at her husband with loving eyes.

_Thank you, _Abe silently replies as he kisses her forehead. _Your eyes aren't so bad either._

"What does he do for a living?" Rupert inquires grumpily.

"He works for the government," she replies.

"Doing what?" Rupert demands. "Working for the government covers a lot of ground. He could be driving a garbage truck for all I know."

"Would it really matter if he was, Daddy?" she questions, trying not to snicker. "And I don't see what difference it makes what he does for a living as long as we're happy."

"You're right, Magpie," he sighs. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she chuckles. "Grandmother did the same thing."

"I did what?" Susan asks from her spot in the rocker.

Maggie hadn't even realized she was in the room; she was too involved with talking with her parents.

"Gave her the third degree when you found out about me," Abe quietly tells her.

"Well, that's what she gets for not telling me that she had been Kissed," Susan haughtily replies, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth

"Where are you two?" Maggie asks, deftly changing the subject before her parents ask questions that she can't answer over the phone. "When are you coming home?"

"We're in The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu," Selma replies. "I don't know when they're going to release us. It's seems we're a bit malnourished and dehydrated after a couple of decades on that island. The doctor is really impressed that we're as healthy as we are. They want to run tests and keep us here for a while until they're sure that we're going to be ok. They think it's going to be at least a few days before we can leave."

"I think I can manage a few more days before I get to see you," Maggie admits. "But I'm not sure if I can last much past that. I can't wait until you come home."

"Well, Magpie, even after we're release, getting home may be a bit of a problem," Rupert admits.

"Why?" Maggie demands. "Why can't you come home?"

"Maggie, when were pronounced dead, you inherited everything," Selma hesitantly tells her.

"That won't be a problem," Maggie replies. "I'll make sure you get everything you need. Clothes, plane tickets, whatever you need, just let me know."

"I don't know about plane tickets," Rupert puts in. "Since we don't know when we'll be discharged, it would be pointless to buy us plane tickets."

A noise from the hallway catches her attention and she turns towards the door. Hodson comes in, locates Maggie and smiles.

"You have company," the doctor states.

Maggie stares in wonder as several people come trooping through the door. When a very tall figure makes his way into the room, a very large smile spreads across her face.

"I don't think the plane is going to be a problem," Maggie informs her parents as yet another person enters the room. "Mom, I think there's someone here who would like to say 'hi.'"

Maggie hands the phone off and then goes to greet the rest of the newcomers followed by Susan and Peg.

"Hey, sis," Steven says softly.

"Steven?" Selma nearly shrieks and more tears flow down her face unheeded. "What are you doing there? How long have you been there?"

"I just got here," he chuckles. "I would have been here sooner, but I had to make a stop along the way."

"Why? What did you stop for?" Selma asks.

"Not what, who," Steven tells her. "Let's see there's you niece Sharon, her husband Ron, their daughter Vicki and a rather crusty old fart we found wandering around the airport."

"That would have to be Guillermo," Rupert laughs.

"Who are you calling 'crusty?'" Guillermo demands loud enough to be heard on the other end of the line.

As people laugh, Maggie pulls Ron and Sharon off to one side to talk to them. While they're talking, the phone is passed around so that everyone gets a chance to say, 'hi' and the box of tissues gets passed around as tears of happiness pour down faces. By the time the phone is handed back to Maggie, plans have been made and set into motion.

"Hi, it's me again," Maggie says as she reclaims her seat next to Abe. "Everything's set."

"What's set?" Rupert asks.

"I'm sending Sharon and Ron out to Hawaii tomorrow," Maggie tells them. "They'll make sure you have everything you need and they'll bring you home when you're released."

"Oh," Selma quietly replies, disappointment evident in her voice.

"I'd rather go myself, but things are a little complicated right now," Maggie sadly responds.

"We understand, sweetheart," Selma assures her barely noticing the nurse out of the corner of her eye. "I remember what life was like after you were born and now it sounds like you have a house full of guests. We'll be together soon and that's all that matters."

"I hate to interrupt," the nurse quietly says as she steps up to the bed. "But we need to draw blood now and run some more tests. Would you please end your phone call soon?"

"Maggie, we need to get going," Rupert informs his daughter. "They want to poke and prod us some more. We'll see you in a few days. We love you."

"I love you, too," Maggie whispers. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Maggie," Selma says in a pain filled voice.

"Bye, Mom," Maggie chokes out. "Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Magpie," Rupert sadly replies.

They sit there in silence, none of them willing to break the connection. Finally, Abe gently takes the phone from Maggie and places it back in its cradle. She gives a sad sigh and leans against Abe finding comfort just from his presence. He wraps his arm around her and they sit there for several minutes ignoring the others who are quietly talking until a pair of whimpering babies are placed in their laps.

They pick the babies up and head upstairs to the quiet of their bedroom. Once the babies are latched on, it's like all of the tension of the past several hours just drain away. She looks down at the two precious bundles and her heart fills with so much love it feels like it's about to burst.

As they are changing the babies and getting them ready for bed, there's a soft knock at the door. Abe answers it and it's Sharon with their dinner. Sharon leaves the tray with the food on the dresser and then leaves without saying anything.

After putting the babies to bed, they sit down on the bed and eat their dinner in silence. Once they're done, the ice pack that came up with the food is placed on Maggie's throbbing face and she takes the pain pills that also made the trip with the food. She settles down in the bed and lets out a tired sigh, closing her eyes for just a little bit. Within a few minutes, she's sound asleep and after the ice has had a chance to do its job; Abe takes it and the dirty dishes back downstairs, leaving his wife to sleep in peace.


	6. Getting Ready

**Author's note:** Sorry this has taken so long. A combination of writer's block and real life getting in the way sort of messed things up. But to make it up to my wonderful readers, this is a rather long chapter. So enjoy and please remember to review. The more reviews I get the faster I write.

* * *

The next morning finds Maggie up by six o'clock despite Abe having woken her up every couple hours during the night to make sure the concussion wasn't that serious. She and Susan are saying their goodbyes to Sharon and Ron as the couple gets ready to leave, assuring them that Vicki will be fine for the few days that they're going to be gone while Steven stands to the side waiting to take them to the airport. Maggie gives Sharon the remainder of the cash she withdrew from the bank three months ago before heading west, telling her cousin that if she runs out that she will be reimbursed.

Everything seems to be fine until they open the front door and are suddenly blinded by a multitude of spotlights attached to the news cameras waiting. Microphones are shoved into their faces and the reporters try yelling over each other to get Maggie's attention. Steven and Ron bulldoze their way through the crowd with Sharon sandwiched between and race to the car while being chased by a couple of reporters and their cameramen. They manage to get into the van that Steven drove the day before and start the engine. They make their escape just as Maggie and Susan finally get the door slammed in the faces of the reporters.

Maggie makes sure there are no intruders in the house before sealing all of the doors and windows shut. Then she and Susan quickly go around to all of the lower floor windows and shut all of the curtains, blocking out any curious eyes. Fortunately and unfortunately, Abe is still out in the ocean for his morning swim, but now it is too dangerous for him to return. Maggie puts in a call to the police to have the trespassers removed from the property while Susan goes and wakes the others.

Guillermo volunteers to go down to the beach and make sure that Abe doesn't return to the house until the coast is clear, taking a travel mug of tea with him. About half way down the path a reporter spots him and chases after him with her cameraman in tow. Guillermo ignores them as he continues on his way despite the bright spotlight and the microphone shoved in his face as he carefully picks his way along the unpaved path so as not to twist an ankle.

Eventually they arrive at the beach where Guillermo finds a rock to sit on and drinks his tea. He continues giving the reporter the silent treatment as he watches the waves. Eventually he sees a blue head break the surface of the water which quickly disappears back under the waves. Satisfied that Abe has now been warned, Guillermo finishes his drink, gets up and retraces his steps back to the house still refusing to acknowledge the presence of the other two people with him.

When they return to the house, they're greeted by a police officer who escorts the reporter and her cameraman back to their van. Guillermo and Maggie help the police find all of the interlopers, including the ones who are trying to hide on the property. By the time the last trespasser has been herded off, the twins are wide awake and extremely hungry. Maggie sits down to feed them as Guillermo makes the return trip to the beach to give Abe the all clear and taking Abe's disguise with him.

* * *

About midmorning the long anticipated and much dreaded phone call from Manning finally comes.

"What are your plans?" he asks by way of greeting as soon as Maggie picks up the phone.

"I'm planning getting the house and grounds ready for my parent's return," she answers, not really in the mood to play games.

"You're not planning on introducing them to Abe or the kids are you?" he demands.

"Yes, I am," she replies.

"I forbid it," he nearly snarls.

"Tough," she snaps. "My parents already know they exist so there's no way I cannot introduce them. You had no problem introducing him to the rest of my family, so what's the problem now?"

"It's not a controlled situation," he retorts. "Anyone could just walk in and see them. There's going to be reporters everywhere."

"We're already dealing with that," she assures him. "Guillermo, Steven and I have been checking to make sure that no reporters step onto the property. If they do, the police are notified and they're removed. Abe will only go out if he's disguised now, so any shots they do get of him will be too far away to be able to tell that he's not perfectly normal. If you don't like it, then I suggest you send out some agents to help us."

"How many more people in your family are you planning on introducing him to?" he inquires, only slightly appeased.

"Just my parents, why?" she responds.

"From what I understand your mother's side of the family is rather large," he informs her. "They'll probably want to see her. This means they will probably see Abe and the kids, I won't allow it."

"What am I supposed to do, Dr. Manning?" she demands. "Tell them that they can't see or meet their long lost relatives. And once again, I'm going to remind you that my father's side of the family has already met Abe. So why not let my mother's side also meet him?"

"What's in it for the agency?" he asks.

"The same thing that was in it the last time," she reminds him. "A whole slue of Mages that you might be able to call on for help, only this time it's Earth Mages instead of Air."

Manning mulls this over for several moments before answering.

"I'll be sending out agents ASAP to help with security," he tells her. "I will be arriving in a day or two too oversee the introducing of Abe and the kids. Please try and keep your family at bay until then."

"I'll see what I can do," she replies with an eye roll. "Anything else?"

"Not right now, I'll let you know if I think of something," he states just before hanging up.

Manning is slightly startled by the large red figure standing in his office doorway when he looks up. With a resigned sigh, he scowls at Hellboy from across the room.

"So, when do we leave for California?" Red asks almost pleasantly.

"_I'll_ be leaving for California in a day or two," Manning answers, leaning back in his chair. "_You'll_ be staying here."

"Oh, really?" Red smiles.

"Yes, really," Manning retorts with a scowl.

Hellboy closes the door to Manning's office. Office workers scurry past the closed door as loud noises and shouting are suddenly heard from within the room. When the door reopens a couple of minutes later, Hellboy has a self satisfied smirk on his face as he exits, giving a slight nod to the agents that came running with guns drawn. Manning looks like he's about to have a coronary as the John briefly checks in on the director. John stays long enough to make sure that Manning isn't really going to go into heart failure before returning his gun to its holster and going back to his duties, shaking his head.

* * *

"That man is a royal pain in the behind," Maggie growls as she places the handset back in the cradle great care.

"He does excel in driving people crazy," Abe agrees as he steps up behind his wife and wraps his arms around her.

"At least he's sending out agents to help deal with the reporters," she sighs as she turns around and lays her head on his chest while circling his waist with her own arms.

"That will be good," he replies as he rests his cheek on the top of her head. "What else needs to be done around the house?"

"The rest of the rooms need to be cleaned," she starts closing her eyes and just relaxing into him. "I'll need to furnish most of them. I'll leave my parent's personal rooms to them. We'll also need to move my stuff and the twins stuff into my old bedroom. It has a tub, but it's not as big as the one in my parent's bathroom."

"I'll manage," he says as his hands start to rub up and down her back.

"And then there's the outside," she continues. "The area around the barns looks like a jungle, the trees need to trimmed along the drive and the area just behind the house is a giant weed patch. All of the buildings need to be painted, the driveway needs to be repaired, the fences need to be fixed and the pasture's umph…"

Her litany of things that need to be done is cut short by Abe's kiss. When he finally lets her up for air, she can barely remember her own name, much less what needs to be done.

"Your parents are coming home to see you, not the house or the grounds," he quietly tells her.

"But I want everything to be perfect for when they get here," she nearly whines.

"And as long as you are here, it will be," he assures her.

"But…," she starts only to be stopped by Abe's lips making it impossible to talk again.

Small whimpers escape her throat as the kiss deepens and intensifies to the point where she has to cling to him to remain on her feet. When he finally breaks off the kiss, her eyes are glazed over; she's gasping for air and has a blank look on her face.

"Now, what needs to be done?" he asks again.

"The b-b-bedrooms…," she stutters, still panting.

"Mmm, a bedroom sound good right now," he murmurs as he starts to nibble on her neck.

She lets out another little whimper as he scoops her up into his arms and carries her upstairs. A couple of minutes later, he sets her on her feet as he closes the door to the master bedroom behind him. She's so blind with the need to be touched by the man she loves that all rational thought is gone.

His lips capture hers again and he gently starts to push her across the room. She willing goes until the back of her legs bump into the bed and she suddenly sits down. He towers over her for a moment as he removes his gloves and then he starts to herd her towards the center of the bed with his body. He once again goes for her neck and she gladly leans her head to the side so he can have better access. She lazily opens her eyes and suddenly she stiffens.

"Oh my god," she gasps in fear. "We're in my parent's room. We can't do it in here!"

"You didn't have any problem the other morning," he points out.

"That was before I knew they were alive," she reminds him gruffly. "Oh my GOD! We had sex in my parent's bedroom. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod."

As frustrated as he is, he knows it's not a good idea to hold her down as she quickly squirms out from under him and off of the bed. By the time her feet hit the floor, her face is a brilliant shade of crimson and her mind is in full panic mode. She starts pacing around the room as her brain careens from one crazy idea to the next.

"No opening a hole in the ground and closing it in over yourself," he tells her, still sitting in the middle of the bed. "And I prefer to think of it as making love to you, not just sex."

She turns towards him and glares at him with a wild eyed stare for a good thirty seconds in disbelief before she charges out the door and heads down the hall. He's off the bed and out the door a split second later. She hasn't gone very far before he catches her and pins her to the door of another room.

His lips are on hers before she can protest and while he has her immobile, he opens the door. He holds onto her to keep her from falling, but not enough to keep her from suddenly moving backwards. She pulls away and looks around the room before looking back at him and smiling her approval.

He closes the door and pushes her towards the first bed she bought for the house in the first room she ever slept in. Within a few minutes both of their tops are gone and his respirator has been removed. Hands randomly roam as the kissing reaches a fevered pitch and her breaths come in ragged gasps.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

They both nearly jump out of their skins and it takes them several moments to calm down enough to realize that Steven is waiting on the other side of the door. Abe gets up to get the door while Maggie scrambles to find where Abe threw her top. Luckily, she finds it and gets it on just before Abe opens the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," Steven starts. "But the twins are awake and hungry and there are no bottles in the fridge."

"Thanks, Steven," Maggie replies. "I'll be right down."

Steven turns to leave and Maggie starts to follow him only to be stopped by a blue arm wrapped around her middle. Abe pulls her against his chest and nuzzles her ear through her hair.

"I'm not finished with you," he softly growls. "When they're done, I expect you to come back up here."

"I have too," she responds, trying to fight the shivers and goose bumps that he's causing. "The bed still needs to be made, my stuff and the twins stuff needs to be moved and the master bedroom needs to be cleaned. Especially the sheets on that bed. Come to think of it, it would probably better to burn those sheets."

"A good washing will take care of any suspicious stains," he chuckles as he hold on her relaxes. "I'll do what I can up here before you get back."

"Thank you," she replies as she quickly turns her head back and gives him a peck on the cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that, she quickly leaves the room and heads down the stairs. Steven is not that far in front of her by the time she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

"Steven, was it really necessary to pound on the door so hard?" she asks as she catches up with her uncle.

"Well, I tried quietly knocking but that didn't get your attention. And with the amount of noise you two were making, I'm not too surprised," he grins as Maggie's face starts to turn red. "I remember when Sean was a baby. It seemed every time Cathy and I started to get cozy he woke up screaming. That might explain why there's a five year difference between him and his sister too."

She smiles appreciatively as they come to the door to the family room and the cries of the twins become a bit overwhelming. Maggie quickly settles down on the couch as the babies are brought to her. As they start to nurse, her world once more shrinks down to these two precious beings getting everything they need from her milk.

* * *

When Maggie returns to her old bedroom, she finds Abe standing in front of the disassembled crib with the instruction sheet in one hand, a screwdriver in the other and his back to her. She quietly closes the door, sidles up behind him and starts to play with the buckles on the sides of his top.

"I can translate ancient texts written in dead languages," he growls. "I can beat Guillermo at chess and I can solve logic problems in minutes, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to put this thing back together."

"Just do what you did in reverse when you took it apart," she replies as the last of the buckles are released.

"I didn't take it apart," he grumbles not even noticing her undoing the zippers along the sides. "Steven disassembled it."

"Then I guess we'll have to let him put it back together," she purrs as she slides her hands under his top and starts to gently caress his very well defined back muscles.

"Ok," he whimpers as the screwdriver and the instruction sheet slip from his nerveless fingers.

"Unless, of course, you want to keep trying to work on it," she teases as her hands slip around to his front and start to explore his chest and stomach.

"No, that's ok, I could use the break," he replies with a hitch in his voice.

She quietly smirks as she steps closer and leans into his back. He grabs an arm and drags her around until she's standing in front of him. Before she has a chance to go for the buckles on his shoulders, his mouth is on hers and all coherent thoughts stop. She's just glad that breathing and keeping her heart beating are automatic, because otherwise, she'd be in big trouble.

His fingers pull up the edge of her shirt out of her sweat pants as cool lips work across her jaw bone towards her ear. She lets out a moan as her head lolls to the side and he takes advantage of the now exposed neck. She some how manages to get the last two buckles and zippers undone on his top and the pieces fall to the floor as he starts to pull her top over her head.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

They both jump as she lets out a startled yelp and a growl of frustration reverberates from his chest. They stand there for several moments trying to regain their composures, ignoring the insistent pounding at the door for the time being.

"Margaret, I know you are in there, now open this door this instant," Susan's muffled voice can be heard through the door.

With a resigned sigh, Maggie steps away from a very frustrated Abe, pulls her shirt back on, tucks it in place and answers the door.

"Yes, Grandmother, what is it?" Maggie asks in the most pleasant voice that she can muster.

"Don't you use that tone of voice with me, young lady," Susan snaps. "Sharon is on the phone for you. It seems there's a problem with the hotel you booked for them."

"Great," Maggie grumbles. "I'll be out in just a moment."

Maggie turns back to Abe who's an interesting shade of blue and is in the process of putting his top back on.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she assures him.

"If there's blue goop on the walls when you get back, it'll be because I finally exploded in frustration," he huffs while redoing the zippers.

"I'll be sure to bring a rag with me then," she snickers just before she exits the room.

* * *

As Maggie steps off of the last stair, Vicki goes running by with the cordless phone clutched to her little chest and Steven and Peg in hot pursuit.

"NO! MINE!" Vicki shrieks as she disappears around a corner.

Steven continues chasing the twenty-two month old child while Peg stops, leans against the wall with one hand as the other clutches her side and she pants for air.

"Vicki wanted (gasp) to say, 'hi' (pant) to Mommy," Peg wheezes. "Foolish me, (wheeze) I didn't see any (gasp) harm in it. Now she won't (pant) give back the phone."

Maggie shakes her head and chuckles as she follows the sound of more screaming. After a lot of begging and even more yelling, the phone is finally wrestled away from Vicki. Susan tries to comfort the child as Maggie gets the phone to her ear only to get that annoying beeping sound that you get when the other end of the line has disconnected.

Maggie hangs up the phone and heads back to the kitchen where the base resides. Just as she's putting the phone away, it rings.

"Hello?" Maggie answers.

"Thank goodness," Sharon sighs. "I've been trying to get through for almost ten minutes."

"We just got the phone away from Vicki," Maggie explains. "So what's wrong with the hotel?"

"They can't find our reservations," Sharon replies.

"Hold on, I wrote the confirmation number down here somewhere," Maggie responds.

A few minutes later, Maggie is hanging up the phone and Ron and Sharon are on their way up to their hotel room. Maggie passes by the parlor on her way back up the stairs and sees that Vicki has calmed down and is quietly playing with Susan. Maggie gets about half way up the stairs when she hears the phone ring. Saying a quiet prayer to whomever may be listening, she keeps going up.

"Maggie, phone!" Guillermo calls out from the family room. "It's your parents."

Maggie makes record time going back down the stairs and into the family room. She snatches the phone from Guillermo's hand just before plopping down onto the couch to talk to her parents.

Scene change

* * *

Over an hour later, Maggie is finally hanging up the phone and she gets up to leave only to be assailed by the wailing of two babies. With another resigned sigh, she sits down, gets ready and then begins to nurse the twins. A little while later, the babies are nursed, burped, changed and checking out the world around them. The great-grandmothers gladly take charge of them as Maggie all but runs upstairs.

When she gets to her room she finds that the crib is now fully assembled but the room is lacking a husband. She turns to leave but suddenly notices the sound of water splashing coming from the bathroom. She peeks in and sees Abe resting in the tub. Not wanting to disturb him, she turns to go.

_If you leave so help me I'll tackle you to the bed without bothering to dry off first, _he fiercely thinks at her.

She chuckles as she turns back around, grabs a dry towel and waits for him to unfold himself out of the tub. She lovingly dries him off as he stands there sending her some very naughty thoughts that cause her cheeks and her nether regions to heat up. But before she can finish drying him off, he loses his patience so he grabs her, pins her to the wall and kisses her. Even though she's now damp from his bath, she doesn't care as the kiss intensifies and hands start to roam and caress.

"Maggie?" Peg calls from the bedroom.

"Yes?" Maggie manages to reply as Abe lets out a growl and latches onto her neck.

Maggie closes her eyes and tries not to let out a moan. She manages to succeed, but only barely makes it.

"There are a bunch of men here saying they were sent by Dr. Manning," Peg says, keeping her distance from the bathroom after hearing that growl. "Were you expecting them?"

"Oh, jeez, I totally forgot about them," Maggie gasps as her eyes snap open and she attempts to push Abe away. "I'll be right down."

"Ok, I'll let them know you're coming," Peg responds and a second later they hear the door click close.

"Abe, I've got to go down there," Maggie states as she once again tries to push him off.

He just holds her tighter and admittedly, she's not trying all that hard to get away. At least not while he's doing whatever it is he's doing to her neck. When he finally releases her neck, she's clinging to him to stay upright.

"Have to go," she whispers, barely even managing to string those words together.

"I know," he replies, barely containing his frustration. "I might as well go down and start getting dinner ready. There's going to be a lot of mouths to feed tonight."

"Take out?" she suggests, still struggling to make her brain function properly.

"Hm, that might work," he responds just before he kisses her ear.

She lets out a whimper and he lets her go as he turns to get his gear. Without even bothering to look back at her, one of his arms snakes out and catches her before she can collapse into a heap on the floor. He waits until her legs are a bit stronger than Jell-O before he releases her once more.

A few minutes later, they make their way down the stairs hand in hand and are met by the sight of several men in black suits turning to look at them. There are so many agents in the entryway that it takes her a moment to count out a dozen moving bodies. One of the men breaks away from the rest and steps up to the bottom of the stairs.

"Good evening, Agent Slate, welcome to my home," Maggie greets as she stops on the last step.

"Good evening, Mrs. Sapien, Abe," Agent Slate replies with a nod to them both. "Dr. Manning gave us rather vague instructions. He said that we are to keep the property secure and to make sure no one sees Abe."

"There's a lot of property to cover, but there are three Earth Mages here, so that should help," she states just before taking that last step. "Come with me and we'll discuss what needs to be done."

She, Abe and Slate head off down one of the hallways as the rest of the men remain behind, milling around the foyer waiting for orders. Maggie leads Slate to the den while Abe heads off to the kitchen to see about dinner. Some time later, Slate returns to his men with a hand drawn map of the grounds and orders. Eight of the men leave, heading off to the hotel that has a couple rooms reserved for them while the other four stay behind and take up their posts at various areas around the property.

* * *

Several hours later, Abe and Maggie are finally putting the twins to bed. Without saying a word, Abe takes Maggie's hand and leads her back to the bed. She willingly follows though she's not sure if she has the energy for what he has in mind. A few moments later, they're lying in the bed together gently kissing and touching. He desperately tries to get her interested in a little marital bliss, but after a few minutes he knows it's pointless. She's fallen asleep in the middle of kissing and to top it off, she bites his tongue when sleep claims her.

* * *

The next several days are a blur as the house and grounds are brought back to their former glory. Though Maggie talks to her parents every day on the phone, it just doesn't seem to be enough. To make matters worse, Manning arrives as planned and is in the middle of everything. As if that wasn't enough, both sides of Maggie's family decide that there needs to be a huge party in celebration of Maggie's parents returning home which causes Manning to go ballistic.

"This is getting totally out of hand," Manning snaps. "I will not allow this flagrant breach of security to happen."

"What am I supposed to do, Dr. Manning? Tell them no?" Maggie demands.

"Yes," he retorts.

"Not going to happen," she replies, her eyes narrowing.

"Fine, then Abe and the kids are getting on a plane ASAP and heading back to headquarters," he states.

"You will not be taking my husband or children anywhere," she replies in a warning voice.

"Try and stop me," he growls as he starts to stalk out of the room.

He gets no more than two steps before he collapses, clutching his chest and gasping for air. As quickly as the pain started, it suddenly stops. He lies there for several moments panting before he turns and looks back at her with fear in his eyes.

"My powers may not be as flashy as Liz's, but they're just as deadly," she says in a quiet deadly tone of voice.

She goes to leave the room, stepping over the prone director only to be faced with a couple of agents with guns drawn. They stand there dumbfounded when the clips fall out of the bottom of their guns as she finishes exiting the room. Abe starts chuckling from where he was standing across the room.

"I told you it wouldn't work," he quietly reminds the director. "She has something planned to keep unwanted eyes from seeing what they shouldn't. You need to learn to trust her."

Abe leaves, walking past the two agents who are trying to figure out why their clips fell out. Manning finally gets up off of the floor, brushes himself off and then goes off in search of Maggie to find out what she has planned.

By the end of the week, just about everything is ready and Maggie is about at her wits end with impatience. Saturday night the call that she's been waiting for comes in. Her parents are to be released the next morning and will be returning home. They'll be coming home on Maggie's birthday.


	7. Last Minute Details

Sunday morning breaks bright and clear, it's a perfect day for flying. Maggie lies in bed wide awake and staring at the ceiling. In fact, she hasn't slept most of the night despite Abe's best efforts to relax her. Not that she objected to him distracting her, but it seemed like no sooner was she about to drop off to sleep then something else that needs to be done before her parents arrival pops into her brain and wakes her right back up.

With a sigh, she rolls over and tries to get some sleep only to have the sounds of waking babies reach her ears. With a groan, she rolls out of bed and staggers over to the crib in the near darkness. She changes the diapers with only one eye open thanking the heavens that they're only wet this time.

By the time she's finished, Abe has arrived and is standing beside her. He carries the twins back to the bed for her and she gets ready for them. As soon as she and the kids are situated, Abe sits down next to his wife and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"You need more sleep," he states without preamble.

"Tell that to my brain," she yawns as she leans against him. "It seems every time I get close to falling asleep, I think of something else that needs to be done around the house and then I have this urge to go and take care of it."

"Repainting the outside trim is not a good idea in the middle of the night," he points out, trying to hide his smile.

"I didn't say it was logical stuff, just things I thought about," she replies while leaning her head back against his shoulder as she closes her eyes. "And you can stop smiling."

"How do you know I'm smiling?" he asks. "You're facing away from me and your eyes are closed."

"I can hear you," she answers.

"You can't hear a smile," he replies.

"Your voice changes in pitch slightly when you're smiling," she responds. "It's especially noticeable when you try to hide it."

"Ah," he chuckles as he places a kiss on top of her head.

About ten minutes later, the twins are sated, burped and put back to bed. As Abe lays the last child in the crib, he hears the sound of the breast pump going. Turning, he sees that she's expressing the last of her milk out.

"Why are you doing that?" he asks.

"I want to make sure they have enough milk while I'm gone," she answers.

"You're not going to be gone that long," he tells her.

"Ever been caught in rush hour traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge?" she asks. "It's a parking lot. Besides, there's going to be reporters at the airport. They're going to slow us down plenty, not to mention I don't want to make it too obvious that I'm a nursing mother now. A little weight gain can be explained away by a prolonged illness or just plain laziness, but bigger breasts means either a boob job or breast feeding. I'd rather give the tabloids as little to play with as possible."

"I see your point," he responds. "Do you need help with anything?"

"No, I'm just about finished," she replies.

A few minutes later, she turns off the pump and breaks the suction on her breasts. After carefully capping the now full bottle of warm milk, she disassembles the device so it can be cleaned. Abe takes the parts that need to be washed and sterilized and the full bottle down to the kitchen while she goes into the bathroom to rinse out the pump.

When she's done, she puts it off to the side and heads for the door. Before she can leave the bedroom, Abe returns, blocking her exit.

"Where are you going?" he asks, his head cocked to the side and shutting the door behind him.

"I've still got a ton of things to do before they get here," she responds. "It's not going to do itself."

"You need rest," he reminds her as he steps up to her and starts to rub her arms with his hands. "You don't want to look like a zombie when you meet your parents."

"I've seen zombies," she states. "I don't look that bad, do I?"

"You will if you don't get some sleep," he says as he starts to push her back towards the bed.

"But I just can't do it," she gripes. "Every time I try to fall asleep, I just wake up again. I think I'm going to lose my mind."

"I'll help you," he offers.

"No offence, honey, but I don't think that's going to work," she replies, sadly shaking her head. "Not that the massage didn't feel wonderful and the sex wasn't mind blowingly great, but I still couldn't sleep after them."

"Something different this time, I swear," he responds. "Trust me."

With a sigh and a nod, she crawls back into bed and lies down. A moment later he joins her sans top and gloves and he pulls her towards him. She gladly cuddles up to him, laying her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat as he pulls the covers over both of them. He gently strokes her hair, waiting for her to get comfortable.

"I want you to listen to my voice," he quietly tells her, his voice reverberating through his chest and into her ear. "I don't want you to think about anything else but what I tell you."

"But…," she starts, lifting her head up.

"Shhh," he interrupts, stopping his petting to put a finger on her lips. "Concentrate to my voice and do as I say. Ok?"

"Ok," she reluctantly agrees.

"Good," he replies and goes back to running his hand over her tresses.

She squirms around a bit until she finds a comfortable position and then she finally closes her eyes. He's not sure how having her one of her legs thrown over both of his and an arm draped over his middle while his chest acts as her pillow is comfortable, but what does he know, he's been sleeping in a bathtub.

"Take a deep breath and then relax as you exhale," he quietly intones, listening as she takes a deep breath and then feels her body relax against him as she exhales. "Let the tension go, nothing else matters but the sound of my voice. You can feel yourself floating on a cloud as you drift away…"

He continues talking in a soft, almost monotone manner for several minutes, finally stopping when he notices her even breathing and she seems to have suddenly gained weight when she fell asleep. But she's asleep and that's all that matters as he closes both sets of eyelids to rest for a while. A second later, his eyes pop open when he hears the bedroom door open. Susan and Peg both come staggering in, looking a bit worse for wear as if they too had trouble sleeping. The women briefly glance at the bed and are startled to see Abe staring back at them.

_Maggie fed them less than an hour ago,_ he silently tells them and their eyes become wider, surprised by hearing his voice in their heads instead of with their ears. _She didn't sleep well last night; I'm hoping to get her a few more hours. There are five bottles of milk in the refrigerator should you need them._

Susan and Peg nod before turning back towards the crib. They scoop up the babies and quietly leave the room. As soon as the door clicks shut, Abe closes his eyes again and leans against his pillow. Despite his best intentions to stay awake and the fact that he still has his respirator on, within a few moments he is also asleep.

* * *

Abe wakes to the feeling of a warm, soft hand caressing his chest and stomach. A finger tip gently traces his stripes down his side until it reaches the top of his shorts. Then fingernails are lightly dragged up his stomach and over his chest to his respirator. He lets out a moan that starts somewhere in the vicinity of his toes and works its way up through his chest. He can hear and feel her quietly laughing beside him.

"That's a good way to get into trouble," he playfully growls as he grabs the hand before it can do any more mischief.

"Oh really?" she purrs as she shifts around and moves more of her body weight onto him so she can look down onto his face. "What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

"The kind where I throw you onto your back and completely ravage you," he replies, finally opening his eyes to stare back into lust filled hazel ones.

"Swear?" she snickers just before lowering her head and licking one of his pectoral muscles.

She follows it with a quick, gentle nip and a kiss. She manages to repeat the process several times, working her way down, before he growls and flips her onto her back. He attacks her lips with his own which cause her to whimper with need. She wraps her arms and legs around his body and pulls him even closer as the kiss deepens and hands begin to grope.

Within a matter of moments everything but her bra is gone. And as frustrating as that is for him, he understands that without it on she would be leaking all over the bed. A bit more fondling and kissing and surprisingly he finds himself on his back and her leaning over him working on his shorts. With a smile, he lifts his hips as she peels the foam neoprene from his body for which he's grateful considering it was getting very uncomfortable.

Starting at his feet, she slowly works her way back up his body, nipping, kissing and stroking his body with her teeth, lips and hands. He lets out a frustrated groan and reaches for her, but she slides back down just out of reach. With a snarl he quickly sits up, grabs her upper arms and drags her on top of him.

A low evil chuckle escapes her throat as she attacks his lips with her own and then starts to systematically remove his respirator by feel alone. A minute later and his gills are freed from the device and she kisses her way down to his neck, sliding her body down his as she does, her knees resting on the bed on either side of his body. As if having her gently torturing his sanity by kissing and licking his gills wasn't enough, he can feel her hot core barely touching the tip of his manhood.

"Maggie," he pleads. "Need you now."

"Really?" she teases as she rubs herself against him.

With another growl, he flips her onto her back and pushes himself into that delightful heat. They both let out low moans as he sets a slow, nearly torturous pace. Nothing else matters to them right now but the feeling of loving each other. All too soon it seems, he starts going faster and she can feel herself racing towards the edge. In a matter of moments she's flying over the precipice, barely managing not to scream his name as his memories flood her mind.

A minute later and they're back in their usual post coital position with only a sheet over them. With a sigh, she starts to drift off again and he gently strokes her shoulder length hair. A question that's been sitting at the back of his mind finally comes forward and he feels the need to ask it.

"Why did you cut your hair so short?"

She buries her face into his chest as she remembers her first stop during her trip out to California so many months ago.

* * *

It's been three days since she's left the bureau and her home. It's been three days since she left _him_. She's now wandering around The Great Mall of America in the Twin Cities. She's not sure what possessed her to go to Minnesota in the middle of January, but here she is.

The second day on the train and she had no choice but to use the shower in her cabin. A normal sized person would have trouble with the tiny closet they expect you to use to get washed in, but for a woman six months pregnant with twins, it's nearly impossible. As if that wasn't bad enough, it seemed to take forever to get all of the shampoo washed out of her hair with the nearly non existent water pressure in the showerhead.

So now she's in The Mall looking for something. After getting turned around more than once and getting lost at least twice she finally finds it. She walks into a hair salon and luckily gets an appointment right away. There are some advantages of getting there just when they open. She sits in the chair and the hair stylist starts to play with her hair.

"So what would you like?" Lars asks.

"I definitely want it shorter and maybe a perm or change the color or something," she answers. "I'm not sure, I just want something different."

"Not to be nosey, sugar, but are you pregnant?" he inquires, staring at her in the mirror.

"Yes," she replies. "Why?"

"Well, I can give you the hair cut with no problem, but there's no way I'm giving you a perm or coloring your hair," he responds as he puts his fist on his hip and shifts his weight to that same leg. "The chemicals that I'd have to use could hurt the baby."

"Oh, I didn't know that," she quietly responds as she rubs her hand over her large belly. "I guess I'll just have a cut then."

"How much of it?" he questions as he goes back to playing with her tresses.

"All of it," she quickly commands.

"Are you sure about that?" he asks, an eyebrow rising towards his hairline. "What about your husband? Does he want it short?"

"My husband likes…liked it long," she responds bitterly, tears starting to sting the back of her eyes.

"Liked?" he questions.

"He died," she whispers as a lone tear tracks its way down her cheek.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry," he gasps. "Let me get you some tissues and let you pull yourself together. I'll go get some books and you can look at some styles and see what you like."

With that he disappears for a few moments and then quickly returns with a box of facial tissues before disappearing again. She takes a couple of tissues and spends a few minutes regaining her composure. She feels kind of bad that she didn't tell Lars the whole truth, but how do you explain that your husband made a miraculous recovery and is now obsessed over finding something. To top it off, how do you explain that your husband has another wife that he previously didn't remember? But none of that matters since he told her to leave and so she did.

With a sigh, she wipes away the tears, blows her nose and puts the box on the little table in front of the mirror. She looks up and sees Lars coming towards her with a stack of books in his arms. They spend about twenty minutes going over different styles before she picks one they both can agree on.

"You know, it's my hair, I should be the one making the choice," she points out to him.

"And it's my styling skills that you are going out into the world with and I refuse to let you ruin my good name by picking a style that will look absolutely horrible on you," he retorts.

She just smiles and shakes her head as he leads her over to the washing bowl. After she's been washed and conditioned, she waddles back to his station and settles back into the chair. After towel drying her hair as best he can, he start to comb it out.

"Have you ever heard of the Locks of Love?" he asks as he runs the comb through her hair.

"No, what's that?" she replies.

"Oh, honey, they're this wonderful non-profit organization that provides real hair wigs to kids who've lost their hair because of chemo or some type of disease," he excitedly responds.

"Let me guess, you'd like me to donate my hair," she smiles.

"You're hair would be perfect," he states. "You've taken such good care of it and I'd hate to see all of this lovely hair go into the garbage when it could bring a smile a child's face."

"Ok, ok, you've talked me into it," she chuckles. "It's not like I'm going to need it anyways. What do you need me to do?"

"Wait here, I'll be right back," he orders happily.

She chuckles and shakes her head as he practically skips off. A minute later he returns with a large re-sealable plastic bag, a rubber band and a padded envelope. He quickly blow dries her hair, pulls it back into a low pony tail when it's dry using the rubber band to hold it in place. When he's done, he grabs a pair of scissors and stands behind her, staring at her in the mirror.

"You ready?" he asks.

"Yes," she replies, for some strange reason feeling a little nervous.

A few seconds later and suddenly her head feels a lot lighter and Lars is holding her hair in his hand. She takes it from him and looks at it, feeling the soft silkiness of it in her hands. She quickly squashes down thoughts of _him_ playing with it, knowing that _he'll_ never touch it again. With a shaky breath, she hands it back to Lars and he quickly sticks it in the plastic bag which is then carefully put into the padded envelope. Once all that is completed, he quickly wets down her hair once more and styles it. Less an hour later, Lars has a sizable tip, Locks of Love has a monetary and hair donation and she's walking out of the mall towards a waiting taxi feeling a little bit better about life.

* * *

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"I understand and I forgive you," he assures her. "Besides, I think I like it this length."

She lifts her head and looks at him with red rimmed confused eyes.

"It's much easier to get to your neck without your hair in the way," he teases, causing her eyes to narrow.

"Give me another hicky, buster, and I'll feed you to my grandmother," she growls threateningly pushing herself up onto her arms. "You're damn lucky that Steven thought it was funny that I married a sucker fish the other day before Grandmother had a chance to see that last hicky you gave me."

He chuckles as he pulls her towards him and kisses her gently. She gives a half hearted growl before lying back down next to him and cuddling with him. She's starting to drift back to sleep when the sound of someone gently knocking on the door rouses her. She scowls at the door for a second before responding.

"Yes, Steven, what is it?" she calls out.

"Stephanie, John, Jeff, Pat and the baby are here," Steven replies, his voice muffled by the door. "Sharon called and your parents are out of the hospital and they're on their way to the airport."

"Thank you!" she yells back.

She scrambles over Abe and out of the bed in her rush for the bathroom. She starts the shower and stands there bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently waiting for the hot water to make the trip up to the showerhead. As soon as the water is warm enough, she jumps in, but before she can slide the door shut a blue hand gets in the way. She gives him look that promises problems if he tries anything funny before she lets him in.

After taking a shower in record time, she quickly dries off and dresses while Abe stays in the shower to get his skin wet again. By the time he finally gets out, she's already left with the bottle of expressed milk that she produced while he was sleeping and the dirty pieces of pump equipment.

He gets dressed and finally leaves the room. At the end of the hall is the top of the stairs and waiting there for him is one of the agents. He can see Agent Stone talking into his radio and he knows that security is tightening, not just because Maggie's family is starting to arrive, but Hellboy, Liz and Trevor are scheduled to arrive sometime in the afternoon. Abe stops and waits for Stone to finish receiving his orders.

"Secure the area, Blue is ready to come down," Stone speaks into the microphone in the cuff of his shirt sleeve.

A moment later, he's given the all clear and Stone leads Abe down to the office and Abe idly notes that it's nearly eleven o'clock.

"Someone will be bringing you breakfast shortly," Stone tells Abe just before closing the door and taking up his station out in the hall.

A noise in the corner catches Abe's attention and he notices that the twins are sleeping in their bassinette. He checks in on the babies just before he settles into the large executive chair behind the mahogany desk and looks around the sizable room while his stomach growls hungrily.

A fairly large nearly empty bookcase that's built into the wall lines an entire side of the room and a fireplace sits across from it. A couch bracketed by a couple end tables sits opposite the desk and a coffee table sits in front of the sofa. The bassinette and changing table are behind him with various baby items sitting nearby. Lying underneath all of the furniture is a very large oriental rug over the marble floor.

Before he can get up and check out what meager reading selection has been left for him, Stone opens the door to allow Maggie and Manning into the room, closing the door after they're in. Manning is carrying a cup of coffee from which he takes a sip while Maggie is carrying a rather large tray filled with bagels, lox, cream cheese, a pot of tea and a small covered bowl that he knows contains his rotten eggs. Abe quickly gets up and relieves his wife of her burden right after giving her a quick kiss.

"Thank you for bringing my breakfast," he says as he puts the tray down on the desk.

"You're welcome," she replies as she heads for the bassinette. "How are the twins doing?"

"They're still sleeping," he answers as he starts to spread cream cheese on the first bagel.

"They should be waking up soon," she tells him. "When they do, please tell the agent out in the hall and someone will let me know. I'm afraid you're going to be stuck in here for a while. Is there anything you need?"

"Are there any more books?" he asks as he finishes arranging the lox on his meal and takes a bite.

"I'll see what I can find," she replies as she comes up to him. "Hellboy will be here soon, so at least you'll have company."

"Do you know when he'll be here?" he asks around a mouthful of food.

"They'll be arriving around two this afternoon," Manning answers, speaking for the first time and not sounding the least bit pleased. "When they do, you, Hellboy and the kids will be confined to this room until your in-laws arrive and then you and your kids can meet them. After that, Hellboy, Liz and Trevor will be introduced to them. Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish will be then taken to the party where they will be reunited with their families. When everything calms down, you, Hellboy and all three kids will be introduced to that hoard your wife calls a family."

Maggie and Manning scowl at each other for several moments before he breaks eye contact and takes another sip of his coffee. Abe continues to eat, knowing that interfering with them will just make things harder for everyone. Before Maggie can berate Manning for calling her family a 'hoard,' the twins begin to stir. Abe puts down his breakfast and goes to help Maggie as she goes towards the babies.

A short time later, Maggie and the twins are situated on the couch and they're happily nursing away. Abe turns to back to his breakfast and finds that Manning beat a hasty retreat when Maggie sat down to feed the 'kids.' A while later, the twins and Abe are all fed and Maggie gets ready to go back out.

"I'll send Guillermo in with any books I can find," she states as she puts Morgan in her bouncy chair. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Bathroom?" he inquires.

"It's down the hall," she tells him. "Just let the agent know you need it, but don't expect them to be quick in letting you out."

"I've worked with these men longer then you, love," he gently reminds her as he pulls her into his arms. "I'm well aware how long it takes them to secure an area."

"I'm sorry," she replies remorsefully, laying her head against his chest. "I'm just a bit nervous right now."

"Perfectly understandable," he chuckles as he kisses the top of her head. "You better go back before someone comes looking for you."

"It's a circus out there," she sighs.

Reluctantly she pulls away from him, steals one last kiss and then heads back out into the melee.

* * *

Several hours later, there's a lot of commotion outside of the office and Abe briefly looks up, raises his bare hand and then goes back to his book long enough to memorize his place. Just as he's putting the book back on the shelf, the door opens and Hellboy, Liz and Trevor come trooping into the room. After Liz drops off Trevor's stuff, says, 'hi' to Abe and kisses her men goodbye, she leaves to go help. A short time later word comes down that Maggie and her grandmothers have left for the airport. 


	8. Almost Home

**Author's Note's**: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Locks of Love is a real organization and their website address can be found on my author's page.

* * *

Sunday morning breaks bright and clear, it's a perfect day for flying. They both lay in their beds staring at the hospital's acoustical tile ceiling. Sleep has been mostly a wishful dream all night.

"You awake?"

"Of course."

"Get any sleep?"

"Not really. You?"

"The amount of sleep I got last night you couldn't fill a thimble with."

They both sigh and continue staring at the ceiling.

"Think she's up?"

"I don't know. Part of me wants her to get her rest and another part of me hopes she's as strung out as we are."

"That's not very nice, but I know what you mean."

"Think the doctor was serious about letting us go?"

"You know he wasn't lying."

"I know, but everything depends on the final blood tests they ran. If they come back less then stellar, we're going to be stuck here for god knows how long."

"I don't think I can take much more of this place."

"I know. If we don't get out of here soon, I'm not sure this building's going to be standing for much longer."

"Be nice. They've given us a private room together when they normally wouldn't, they've kept the reporters away and they haven't given Sharon or Ron any guff about coming and going at all hours. They didn't even complain when Sharon brought that hair dresser in here to clean us up."

"I know. I just want to go home."

"Me too, sweetheart, me too."

Rupert climbs out of his bed and crawls into Selma's. She gently caresses his face with the neatly trimmed beard before kissing him. They cuddle up together and in a matter of moments are asleep.

* * *

Some time later, Selma wakes to the sound of someone shuffling around their room. She opens her eyes and sees that Nurse Ellen has come in with their breakfasts. Selma watches her for a few moments before the nurse notices she's awake.

"Good morning," Ellen cheerfully greets. "Time to rise and shine, sleepy heads. You get to go home today. You both must be so excited to finally be able to go home to your daughter and meet your son-in-law and your grandchildren. I'm going to miss you two and always finding you both in the same bed."

By this time Rupert is awake as well and smiling at the perky nurse with the olive colored skin and plait of long black hair. She continues her one sided conversation as she putts around the room putting their breakfasts on the little rolling tables that go next to their beds and pushing the trays up to them so they don't have to move. Her Hawaiian print shirt is nearly as bright as her personality and she's one of the few things they'll miss about this place.

"Ok, you two, eat up," Ellen orders as she pushes the tables in place and takes the covers off of the trays. "The doctor will be in a little later on. Once he signs your release papers, you two will be on your way home. And to think you get to go in a private jet. How wonderful as that? Ok, I'll leave you two to eat and I'll check back in later on."

With that, she sweeps out of the room as Selma and Rupert watch her go. They both quietly chuckle before digging into their breakfasts. It's hospital food, but compared to what they ate when they were stranded, it's gourmet dining.

* * *

Over an hour later, breakfast is a memory and the trays are long gone. They're showered and dressed and now they're both wandering around the room checking and rechecking that they have everything that Sharon provided them. They're repacking their bags when the doctor finally comes in.

"Good morning," Dr. Fisher says as he walks in, clipboard in hand. "I just got your tests back and everything looks great. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that you two had only been missing for a few months, not nearly two and a half decades. You're in excellent health and there's no reason to keep you here any longer. I'll give your release forms to Nurse Ellen and as soon as your ride gets here, you two can be on your way. How does that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful," Sharon admits from the door as she walks in. "As much as I like visiting the islands, I can't wait to get back to the mainland. I miss Vicki and Maggie's been driving me nuts with all of her phone calls."

"Who knew that our little Magpie would turn into a mother hen?" Rupert chuckles as he zips up his duffle bag.

"I did," Selma reminds him as the doctor quietly exits. "She always was the nurturing type."

"Don't remind me," he playfully grouses. "Remember all of the animals she kept trying to bring home and nurse back to health?"

"The nest of baby squirrels that got blown out of their tree was my least favorite," she moans.

"How long did it take you to get them all out of the house?" he asks.

"Two hours and that was only _after_ I found out three days earlier she had brought them in," she answers, shaking her head at the memory. "If it had fur or feathers, she wanted to love it."

"Who knew that she'd get a thing for scales," Sharon mutters to herself.

Rupert suddenly turns to look at her with questioning eyes. Before he can ask what she's talking about, Sharon's saved by Nurse Ellen coming in with a couple of orderlies each pushing a wheelchair. Without complaint Selma and Rupert happily take their seats with their bags in their laps and are pushed down the hall to the elevators.

The ride down is uneventful, but all hell breaks loose when the doors slide open and the reporters that have been waiting for nearly a week descend on the hapless couple before they can blink. Sharon and Nurse Ellen run interference as the orderlies push their charges towards the door, 'accidentally' squishing a few toes in the process. A short time later, Sharon and Rupert are settled into the back seat of the rental car as Sharon slides behind the wheel.

"Where's Ron?" Selma asks as they leave the parking lot.

"Getting the plane ready," Sharon explains. "He has to do the preflight checks and log his flight plan before we can take off. With any luck, everything will be ready to go when we get there."

"Oh, great," Selma replies, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Is something wrong?" Sharon asks, looking back at them in the review mirror.

"Earth Mages don't like flying," Rupert explains as he takes his wife's hand to try and comfort her.

"Oh dear," Sharon mutters. "I wish there was some other way, but this is the quickest way to get back to the mainland."

"I know," Selma replies as she takes a calming breath. "Just don't expect me to be a great conversationalist after we get up in the air."

"It's ok, I understand," Sharon assures her aunt.

"No you don't, but it's nice of you to say that," Selma responds with a tight smile.

Sharon has no response to this, so she just continues to drive in silence for a while. A short time later she notices that they're being followed. With a growl of frustration, she continues to drive as calmly as she can.

"Is something the matter?" Rupert questions.

"We're being followed by reporters," Sharon replies. "Their vans are right behind us."

Rupert and Selma turn around and look through the back window and sure enough there are at least half a dozen vans in hot pursuit. Selma scowls at them before suddenly one of the lead van's tires blows out. Shortly after that van pulls over to the side of the road, the transmission to the second van falls out from under the vehicle. This continues for each of the vans until they are all off to the side of the road, each with a different ailment.

"Feel better?" Rupert asks his wife, chuckling quietly.

"A bit," she answers as she settles back in her seat.

They return the rental car a short while later and catch a ride to the airport getting dropped off at the area where charter flights take off. As they cross the tarmac, Ron comes out of the plane to greet them. After kissing his wife 'hello,' he takes Rupert and Selma's bags and goes to stow them on the plane.

Sharon follows him up the stairs but when she turns around to look at her aunt and uncle, she notices that they're still standing on the ground. Selma is visibly shaking, her heart is wildly beating and her breath is coming in ragged gasps as she tries to blink back the tears of blind panic. Rupert stands beside her with his arms around her and he's quietly talking into her ear.

"It's ok, sweetheart," he assures her. "Just think about Maggie and Abe and the twins. Just concentrate on seeing them again. Soon we're going to get to hold our grandchildren."

"I can't," she sobs, looking up at him as tears starting to pour down her face. "I can't. I'm sorry. I just can't do it."

"Something wrong?" Ron softly asks Sharon when he sticks his head out to see what the hold up is.

"Earth Mages hate to fly," she quietly answers as she watches Rupert hold his wife to his chest as she desperately cries her fears into his shirt.

"Anything I can do to help?" Ron inquires in a louder voice.

"Ron, in my bag is a small envelope in one of the side pockets," Rupert tells the pilot. "Please bring it to me with a glass of water."

Ron nods his agreement and quickly disappears back into the plane. A couple minutes later he comes back out with the requested items and hands them to Rupert. Rupert takes the envelope first, opens it and carefully shakes out one pill into his hand. After handing back the envelope, he takes the glass and then tries to push Selma back so that she can take the pill. Selma has a death grip on her husband's torso and won't let go as she continues to hysterically sob.

"Selma, honey, you need to let go," Rupert tells her, but she just tightens her grip and shakes her head 'no.' "Sweetie, I need you to let go for a minute. Have some water then you can go back to trying to break my ribs."

With some help from Ron, Rupert finally gets her to loosen her grip enough to drink some water and take the pill. As soon as they let her, she goes back to crying and holding onto Rupert as if her life depended on it. Ron takes the empty glass and the envelope back into the plane and puts everything away. By the time he comes back outside, Rupert and Sharon are holding an unconscious Selma up.

"What happened?" Ron demands as he quickly comes down the stairs.

"I told the doctor that she has a fear of flying," Rupert starts to explain. "So he gave me a sedative to help calm her. I'm not sure if he gave her too strong of a prescription or if she's just so overwrought that the pill just hit her hard and fast. Could you help get her in the plane? I don't think I can carry her."

"Sure," Ron replies as he easily lifts Selma into his arms. "How long will the pill last?"

"The doctor said that it should last about three or four hours," Rupert answers as he follows Ron into the plane.

"She'll probably wake before we get to California," Ron warns him as he places Selma in one of the seats.

"Don't be surprised if you get to San Francisco a little faster than normal," Rupert responds as he fastens a seat belt around his wife before taking his own seat.

"I never am," Ron replies with a knowing smile as he closes the outer door and then disappears into the cockpit.

Rupert gets settled in his seat as Sharon finds a blanket to cover Selma before taking her own seat. A short time later they're in the air and with a little help from both Sharon and Rupert; the plane catches a tail wind all the way back to the mainland.

* * *

Just as the plane is circling over San Francisco, Selma is shaking off the effects of the pill she was given. By the time she's aware enough to realize that they're in the air, they're making the final approach to the airport. She manages to keep the panic at bay long enough for them to get on the ground and when they do touch down she lets out a loud sigh of relief. Rupert smiles at her and gives her a gentle kiss as the plane taxis towards the terminal.

About ten minutes later the plane reaches its destination and they wait rather impatiently for Ron to shut down the engines before he opens the door for them to exit. Ron and Sharon collect the bags, leaving the older couple free to cross the tarmac unfettered. They head for a small building that serves as the charter flight office and waiting room and go inside. As soon as they step in the door they're temporarily blinded by news camera lights. But after their eyes adjust to bright lights, they see one of the most wonderful sights they have ever seen.


	9. Their Arrival

Author's Notes: Sorry guys, it's another short one.

* * *

When they arrive at the charter flight building at the airport, the news vans are already there waiting for them. With a sighs of disgust and scowls all around, Maggie, Peg and Susan climb out of the car. The sky is overcast, but a good stiff breeze whips their hair around their faces as they make their way to the building.

When they go into the building the cameras have all been set up on tripods around the room against the walls and have been aimed at the door opposite to the one the women just came through, this one looks out to the tarmac. The reporters and cameramen turn to look at the new comers and some of the reporters look like they're about charge when a man in a security uniform steps between the women and them. Maggie gives a snort and mutters something that vaguely sounds like 'vultures' before heading over to the information desk off to the side of the room.

"They're in a holding pattern over the city," Maggie quietly tells her grandmothers after she comes back. "It seems they caught a tail wind and got here ahead of schedule."

Both of the grandmothers chuckle quietly to this news.

"Because of the fog, there's a delay of at least forty minutes," Maggie continues. "However, a wind has come out of the east and is starting to push it back, so they're hoping that it'll clear soon and they'll be able to land within the next hour. For security reasons, we need to wait for them in here."

"That's good to hear," Peg sighs with relief. "I was worried that the traffic on the bridge would make us late."

The three ladies take seats in a place where they have a good view of the back door. Maggie takes the time to call back to the house to let people know what's happening. Once that's accomplished, there's nothing more to do than sit and wait. The monotony and tension is broken every once and a while by a reporter trying to sneak past the security guard who obviously takes his job way to seriously.

As the minutes tick away, Maggie can almost sense her body making milk as her breasts get more and more full. She knows that she's already missed one feeding and that if she misses another one she feels like she just might explode. She's just about ready to go out to the car and use the battery operated pump to relieve some of the pressure when the lady behind the desk comes over to tell her that they've been given clearance to land.

Maggie can feel her heart starting to pound in her chest and her breath catching in her throat. She's not even aware that she's standing until she's about ten feet from the door and each of her grandmothers grabs an arm. They each take a hand and stand watch with her as the minutes drag by.

What seems to be an eternity later, a small plane can be seen pulling up to the edge of the tarmac near the building. Every nerve in Maggie's body seems to be standing on edge and if Peg and Susan weren't holding onto her arms, she probably would go charging out there. By the time the door on the side of the plane starts to open, Maggie is visibly shaking. Susan and Peg aren't doing much better and it's only the fact that they are all desperately clinging onto one another is what's keeping them from collapsing into heaps on the floor.

When her parents step out of the plane and onto the tarmac all three women let out a sob and a small part of Maggie's brain wonders if her trembling is being picked up on the Richter scale. Their short walk from the plane to the building seems to take forever. The lights on the cameras are turned on as the reporters get ready to do their jobs and it doesn't even register as her world shrinks down to watching her parents walk towards her.

When they finally step through the door, they blink until their eyes adjust to the bright lights being shined in their faces. Then they see their daughter and they stand there staring at each other for about two wild heartbeats before they launch themselves at each other. Maggie gets to her parents first with her grandmothers in a close second.

Hugs, kisses and tears are plenty as the cameras catch every second of from a multitude of angles. When the group hug finally breaks apart a multitude of microphones are stuffed in their faces and the stupidest question to come out of the annals of time is asked.

"How do you feel?"

"Like the luckiest people alive," Rupert answers for all of them.

With that, the reunited family all turns towards the exit and starts to wade through the reporters as they continue to try and ask questions, shouting to be heard over one another. Ron and Sharon flank the group and run interference with the reporters. Well, Ron does at any rate.

When they finally do manage to make it to the egress, Ron and Rupert are on the verge of punching a few cameramen and Maggie's about ready to give a couple reporters a Charlie Horse they won't soon forget. Instead, several of them get a case of the clumsies and end up tripping up the rest of the group of reporters and cameramen. As they break free of the throng and exit the building, a man in a dark suit steps out of a stretch limo sitting in the parking lot and opens the back door for them. He lifts his wrist to his mouth and talks into it.

"Wow, a stretch," Ron whistles. "Very nice."

"It's a loaner," Maggie replies as she starts to walk faster, dragging her parents with her. "Let's get in before the vultures get reorganized."

The man in the suit opens the trunk and the he and Ron stow the luggage while Rupert, Maggie and Selma take one bench in the back of the vehicle and Susan, Peg and Sharon take the one across from them. Ron sticks his head in and sees that despite Sharon trying to move over, there's no room for his large frame.

"Guess I'll sit up front with Junior," Ron states.

"No, Ron, I'll…," Sharon starts.

"No, Sharon, stay here with your family," Ron interrupts. "It won't be that long of a drive to the house. I'll be fine."

Before she can protest any further, Ron steps back and shuts the door. A few moments later both the front doors open and Ron and the suit climb into the front seat. Seconds later, the engine is turned over and they start to move. Once they are on their way, Rupert and Selma turn towards their daughter who's sitting between them.

"Ok, Magpie," her father says in a tone of voice that brooks no argument. "We didn't mention that you're married with kids in front of the reporters. Now what gives? Why couldn't we mention them? Does it have something to do with Abe's job?"

"Actually, yes, it has a lot to do with Abe's job," Maggie answers.

"What, exactly, does he do for the government?" Selma asks.

"That's a little hard to explain," Maggie replies vaguely. "Let's just say he does pest removal."

"Why can't you tell us?" Rupert demands.

"I think it would be best if you met him first," Maggie responds shrinking down in her seat. "Once you meet him, a lot of things will become clear."

"Like why your limo driver looks like he works for the feds," Selma replies.

"The driver is one of Abe's co-workers," Maggie tells them.

"Why is one of your husband's co-workers driving us home from the airport?" Rupert inquires.

"Because this is his boss's limo," Maggie explains.

"Please tell me you didn't borrow this car from Manning," Sharon gasps.

"He offered, no strings attached," Maggie informs her after turning her attention across the way. "Every once and a while he likes to throw everyone for a loop by acting like a human being."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Sharon sneers.

"Like that time in Australia?" Peg asks, an eyebrow quirked higher than the other.

"How did you know about that?" Maggie demands.

"Or what about the sirens at the karaoke bar?" Susan inquires.

"Now that was her fault," Maggie harshly answers, pointing at Sharon.

"I didn't tell the sirens to show up there," Sharon shoots back.

"No, but you're the one who insisted we go to a karaoke bar," Maggie reminds her.

"Excuse me!" Selma nearly yells. "I think we're getting a bit off topic here. Now I want an explanation about Abe and I want it now."

"I told you he's really tall, has eyes so blue you want to swim in them and he can read my mind," Maggie reminds her.

"So what else can you tell us about him?" Rupert questions.

"I think it would be best if you just met Abe," Maggie replies. "I think a lot of things will be explained once you meet him."

"That's for sure," Peg chuckles.

Before Rupert and Selma can ask Peg what she means, she goes into the story of how she and Steven first met Abe and Maggie, managing to avoid any descriptions of the merman. Most of the car trip is taken up by Selma's mother telling them about finding the file hidden in the desk, her and Steven's first visit, their uninvited return and witnessing the twin's birth.

"So, you really believe Abe can read your mind?" Selma jokingly asks Maggie as the limo drives past the front gate.

"I know he can," Maggie answers seriously. "When you meet him, you'll understand."

By the time the limo pulls up to the front door, Rupert and Selma are extremely curious about their son-in-law. But the group of people waiting on the front door step distracts them from any further questions. Considering the size of both families and that having them all there to greet the returning couple upon their arrival would be too overwhelming for Rupert and Selma. Instead of over seventy people waiting on the front steps, only the seven siblings wait as the limo pulls up to the front door.

Sharon, Susan, Peg and Maggie all get out before Rupert and Selma manage to climb out, but once they do, they get mobbed by their respective brothers and sisters. Maggie slips past the happy throng, goes into the house and immediately heads for the parlor.

Once there she finds the breast pump already assembled and waiting for her. She quickly relieves the pressure that's been building up for over an hour in her breasts. With a sigh of relief, she turns off the pump and starts to disassemble it only to be stopped by a familiar pair of gloved hands on the end of blue arms.

She smiles up at Abe and he gently kisses her just before handing her the nursing pillow. She quietly chuckles as she puts the pump down on the table and then gets the pillow in place while he brings her the babies and then he takes care of the pump. She's so happy right now that even Manning entering the room can't dim her beaming face.

"You're parents are almost ready to come in," he tells her in an officious tone. "Are you ready?"

"See if Steven and the others can hold them off for a little bit longer, please," she requests. "I'd like to get the twins fed before they come in and meet them."

"How much longer?" he asks.

"Do you think they can keep them busy for another ten minutes?" she counter asks.

"Knowing your family, they could probably keep them busy until Doomsday," he grumbles just before exiting the room.

"I get the impression that Manning doesn't like my family," she jokes, poorly stopping the smirk trying to escape.

"They do take a little getting used to," Abe replies with an answering smile to which she sticks her tongue out at him. "Stick that tongue out again and you're parents are going to be waiting a lot longer than ten minutes."

"Beast," she mutters playfully, but keeping her tongue where it belongs, just in case he's not joking.

About ten minutes later, Manning reenters the room to check on them and sees everything is set. He leaves and less than a minute later he shows Maggie's parents into the room. Maggie is sitting in a chair where they can clearly see her holding two wiggling bundles.

They immediately cross the room and take the babies from her. Maggie stands as they push the blankets out of the way and then stop and stare at the little ones staring back at them.

"The blue one is Dylan and the green one is Morgan," Maggie tells them.

"Why are they blue and green?" Rupert asks in confusion. "Was there a reason you put makeup on the babies?"

"It's not makeup, Daddy," Maggie explains. "That's their natural coloring."

"But why are they blue and green?" Selma questions just as perplexed as her husband.

"I'm afraid that would be my doing," a soft masculine voice from behind them says.

Rupert and Selma turn around and gasp, only managing not to drop the babies out of pure instinct. They stare at Abe who was hiding behind the door wearing only his shorts.

"Mom, Daddy, meet Abe," Maggie introduces. "My husband."


	10. Meet the Family

Rupert and Selma continue to stare for some time as Abe stands there stoically staring right back at them. When the couple finally starts getting certain body parts to function, all they can do is open and close their mouths and blink.

"He's…he's…he's…," Selma stutters when she's finally able to get her vocal cords to work again.

"Blue, Mom," Maggie fills in for her. "It's ok. He knows that."

"He has…has…," Rupert tries to say, just as flustered as his wife.

"Stripes and scales, Daddy," Maggie responds. "He knows that, too."

"But how...?" Selma asks in bewilderment, looking first at the twins, then Maggie, then Abe and finally back at the twins.

"If I have to explain _that_ to you, it would explain why I'm an only child," Maggie snickers.

"Now listen here, young lady," Rupert starts to reprimand.

"Perhaps we should sit down," Abe suggests with a graceful wave of his hand. "Then you can ask me any questions you have."

Rupert and Selma both jump at the sound of Abe's voice and turn back towards him, staring again. With gentle hands, Maggie guides the still shell shocked couple towards the couch and encourages them to sit down, taking a seat herself once they are comfortable. While this is being done, Abe quickly dons his gear and then takes a seat next to his wife on the love seat.

Rupert and Selma continue to watch Abe in bafflement as he carefully pulls out Maggie's necklace that she had hidden inside her top. He delicately undoes the clasp, pulls it away from her and then slides the rings that were hanging on it into his open hand. After putting the necklace down on the coffee table, he puts the rings back where they belong on her left hand. Maggie smiles up at him and he gently kisses her before picking the necklace back up and putting it back around her neck.

"It…it really was a real Kiss that you two shared," Selma states in an awed voice.

"Yes, Mom, it was real," Maggie smiles at her mother as she leans against Abe.

"But I don't understand," Rupert says, bewildered. "He's not human."

"Certain events have revealed that I may have been human once," Abe replies quietly as Maggie gets a very sad look on her face.

Abe pulls her closer to him and she pushes her face into the foam neoprene covering his chest while her parents watch. The twins seem to pick up on their mother's distress and start to fuss. Despite the best efforts of the grandparents, they are inconsolable until they are handed over to their parents and only after some gentle rocking and cooing do they quiet down.

"Sensitive little guys, aren't they?" Selma observes as first Dylan and then Morgan drop off to sleep.

"Dylan is telepathic," Abe explains quietly, mindful of the slumbering daughter in his arms. "When either one of them is upset, the other is as well. Occasionally, he picks up on the moods around him, especially his mother's."

"How did he become a telepath?" Rupert inquires.

"He got it from me," Abe explains.

"So you weren't lying when you said he could read your mind," Selma softly chuckles at her daughter.

"No, I wasn't," Maggie smiles back.

"If you're a telepath, then that means…," Rupert's voice trails off as he becomes a bit nervous.

"I can read minds, but I won't without permission," Abe assures his father-in-law.

"What about Morgan?" Selma asks, breaking the rather tense mood. "Does she have a special ability?"

"We haven't been able to determine anything yet," Abe answers.

"Are they Mages?" Rupert questions.

"Yes, they both are Mages," Maggie replies. "Morgan has a little more power than Dylan, so that might be her special gift instead of telepathy."

"So, how did you two meet?" Rupert asks, returning to protective father mode.

"Well, that's a bit of a long story," Maggie stalls.

"We're not going anywhere," Rupert responds, eyes narrowing at his daughter and crossing his arms over his narrow chest.

"Well, to make a long story short, there was a strange earthquake not far from where I was living," Maggie slowly explains. "I went to investigate it with my horse since there was something very wrong about the earthquake. We got attacked by a couple of creatures protecting the epicenter, so we ran and we ended up at the place where Abe works."

"And where, exactly, do you work?" Rupert inquires, turning his penetrating stare from Maggie to Abe.

"I work for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense," Abe replies.

"Maggie said you're in pest removal," Selma tells him. "I take it the pests are something a normal exterminator wouldn't be able to handle."

"That is correct," Abe responds with a small smile.

"Who Kissed whom?" Rupert inquires, still glaring at the younger couple.

"I Kissed Maggie," Abe answers calmly.

"So, how long did you two know each other before you Kissed?" Rupert growls, eyes barely slits now.

Maggie mumbles an answer that a normal person wouldn't be able to hear and attempts to disappear into the love seat.

"SEVEN HOURS?" Rupert roars, coming out of his seat and starting to lunge towards Abe.

Rupert's forward momentum is suddenly halted as his legs suddenly refuse to work and the angry man turns on his wife.

"Let me go, Selma!" Rupert shouts as he stands in mid-stride, barely maintaining his balance.

"No," Selma calmly tells him. "Not until you calm down."

"That _THING_ Kissed our daughter and all you can do is calmly sit there and do nothing?" Rupert yells.

"What you have me do, Rupert?" Selma asks. "Fillet him, serve him for dinner and then tell Maggie to get over it and find someone new? You know Mages marry for life and they _never_ remarry. I suggest you calm down and accept things for what they are."

"But look at him!" Rupert desperately shouts.

"I have, love," Selma replies in the same soft voice. "I see a kind man who loves and cherishes our daughter. Isn't that we always said we wanted for her? Someone who would love her and care of her? Now I will agree that he's quite different and if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes I'm not sure I would believe that he wasn't the figment of someone's overactive imagination, but that doesn't make what they have any less real than what we have."

"But…but…," Rupert stutters, his anger finally starting to lose steam.

"As Maggie said, she's married with children," Selma reminds him. "It's a little late to be getting out the rocking chair and shotgun. Please, Rupert, don't make the mistake my father did and drive our daughter away. We only just got her back; I couldn't stand to lose her again."

At the sound of his wife's pleading voice and one look at her begging eyes, Rupert's head and shoulders droop in defeat. The instant they do, he can feel his legs come back under his control again. With a resigned sigh, he drops back down into his seat next to his wife. Selma takes the arm closest to her and wraps it around her shoulders as she leans into him. He gives her a sad smile and kisses her before looking back up at his son-in-law.

"I'm sorry, Abe," Rupert says.

"Apology accepted," Abe replies. "Perhaps it's time to tell you about myself."

"Please do," Selma encourages.

For the next several minutes Abe tells them his rather interesting life history including what little he knows about his previous life and a brief description of his abilities. When he's done, Selma and Rupert stare at him amazement.

"You certainly picked yourself a very unique husband," Selma says to Maggie after a drawn out silence.

"She never was one for the ordinary," says an amused voice from the door.

Heads snap around to the newcomer and a couple pair of eyes grow very wide.

"Guillermo!" Rupert and Selma happily shout.

They jump up off of the couch and rush to greet their old friend. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged between the men and hugs and kisses are exchanged between Guillermo and Selma.

"As much as I would love to stay here and get caught up, I've been sent here to see if you're ready for Red yet," Guillermo tells them.

"Let me check," Maggie replies. "Mom, Dad, do you have any further questions for Abe?"

"I can't think of any right now," Selma admits.

"Me either," Rupert agrees.

"Good, then I'll let Manning know," Guillermo responds as he turns to go. "It's a good thing too; Red was starting to get antsy."

With that, Guillermo exits the room and Selma and Rupert return to their seats.

"So, who and or what is Red?" Rupert asks.

"Red is one of Abe's coworkers," Maggie starts to explain. "We thought it best if you were introduced to him after you met Abe."

"What, is this guy a red fish guy or something?" Rupert jokingly asks.

"Hardly," replies a deep baritone voice from the door.

Rupert and Selma spin around in their seats and their eyes practically fall out of their heads and their mouths both hang open at the sight of a nearly six and half foot red demon coming into the room. In his arms is Trevor and right behind him is Liz. They step fully into the room as John follows them in, briefly checks the room over and leaves, shutting the door behind him.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like to introduce you to Hellboy, his wife Liz and their son, Trevor," Maggie introduces. "Hellboy, Liz, I'd like you to meet my parents, Rupert and Selma Cavendish."

If the look on Rupert and Selma's faces was worth a million bucks when they met Abe, their expressions now are priceless. Eyes are the size of dinner plates and jaws hang in the vicinity of bellybuttons. Maggie can hardly manage to control her giggles and Abe's barely contained snickers aren't helping.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" Hellboy grunts as Trevor squirms to be let down so he can explore.

"Hi," Liz mumbles as pushes her hair behind her ear and slightly blushes.

Hellboy puts Trevor down and proceeds to follow him around the room. Rupert and Selma continue to watch Hellboy in stunned amazement as he gently opens little fingers that have found the cord to the lamp on one of the tables.

"Watch out for his other…," Liz starts to warn as Trevor reaches up and grabs his father's sideburn with is free hand.

"OW!" Hellboy yells in surprise, jumping at the sudden shock of pain and knocking the lamp he was trying to save over.

"…hand," Liz finishes, trying not to laugh, though Trevor seems to have no problem doing just that.

"Thanks," Hellboy grumbles as he stands up with the child in his arms and tries to dislodge his son's fingers from his facial hair.

Liz goes over to her husband, still trying to contain the chuckles, and helps him with grabby little fingers as the hand that used to have the cord now seeks more facial hair. Fully snickering now, Abe reaches over and rights the lamp that luckily fell onto the couch and not onto the floor. Even Rupert and Selma's shock induced trance seems to be broken as they too try to hide their merriment behind their hands.

John sticks his head into the room to see what the yelling was about. After seeing that it's Trevor and Hellboy again, he just shakes his head. With a smile on his face, he steps back out and quietly shuts the door.

"So, Liz, how did you get involved with the Bureau of Paranormal…um?" Rupert asks after he regains her composure.

"Research and Defense," Liz fills in with another shy smile. "We usually just call it the bureau or the BPRD. I came to live there when I was eleven after my parents died."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," Selma says sadly. "But why would you go there after your parents died? Wouldn't you go to a relative or a foster home?"

"I was in a foster home until Prof. Broom convinced me to go live at the bureau," Liz answers.

"But why?" Rupert inquires, still confused.

"Because of this," Liz replies as she lifts her hand up.

Before Selma or Rupert can blink, Liz's hand is engulfed in fire. The Fire Mage idly watches as the blue flames lick around her fingers. Trevor starts giggling again and grabs his mother's hand, laughing as the flames seem to tickle his face and hands.

"Oh, wow," Selma gasps. "I've never met a Fire Mage before. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"Thanks," Liz responds, blushing again as she puts the fire out. "It's nice meeting you, too."

"So I'm guessing your story must be as interesting as Abe's," Rupert states as he turns his attention towards Hellboy.

"You could say that," Hellboy smirks.

After settling on the floor with his back to the arm of the overstuffed chair that Liz takes a seat in and his son caged by his legs, Hellboy tells his story. When he's done, several moments pass by as Rupert and Selma absorb this new information. The others wait patiently for the older couple to say something while Hellboy holds his now sleeping son in his arms.

"Wow," Rupert whispers after what seems to be an eternity. "That's quite the story."

Before he can say more, the door opens again and Manning walks in. John does a quick check of the room again before closing the door once more. Manning steps into the middle of the room, realizes that the only place left to sit is either on the floor or on the couch next to Rupert and Selma, so he remains standing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish, I'm Dr. Tom Manning," Manning introduces himself. "I'm the director of the BPRD. As I'm sure you've figured out, the BPRD is a secret organization and Hellboy, Liz, Abe and their children are part of it. As such, if you try to tell anyone outside of your family, especially the media, about them, the US government will disavow any knowledge of them and will discredit you in the process. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Rupert and Selma answer in unison, stunned.

"Good," Manning nods. "Now shortly, you'll be reunited with your families. The Cavendish side already knows about Hellboy, Liz, Abe and the kids, but the Steele side does not. As such, I would appreciate you not discussing with either families about what has gone on in this room. After you have been reunited, first Abe and his kids will be introduced to the rest of the family and after that, Hellboy, Liz and their kid will make their entrance. The only reason for this is that at some point the US government may be in need of people with the special abilities your families possess. Is that agreed?"

"Are we going to have to sign anything?" Rupert asks.

"No, this will be strictly off the record since technically the BPRD, Hellboy, Abe nor their kids exist," Manning answers. "We will only call on your families for help only if the need arises, and so far, we have never had a need for that many Mages before, so it's very unlikely that we'll ever need that type of help. But are we agreed to my previously stated conditions?"

"I guess so," Selma replies hesitantly. "When do we go see our families?"

"As soon as you're done in here," Manning responds. "Just let Agent Myers know when you're ready and we'll get everything in position for your entrance."

"Ok," Rupert says, still bewildered by all that's gone on in the last hour.

"Good, it was nice meeting both of you," Manning nods again just before he leaves.

They sit in silence after the door closes behind the director for several moments.

"That man is a right pompous ass," Rupert states to no one.

"Daddy!" Maggie gasps in shock. "Don't let Grandmother hear you talk like that."

"Is she still taking her hand to the back of people's heads?" Rupert questions.

"Every chance she gets," Maggie chuckles. "Even Ron's gotten whacked on occasion, though she usually can only reach his shoulder unless he's sitting down at the time."

"You'd think she'd mellow with age," Rupert snickers.

"Not likely," Maggie snorts.

"Speaking of aging, I'm not getting any younger and our families are waiting for us," Selma points out.

"You're right, love," Rupert concedes as he kisses her on top of her head. "Shall we go face the horde that calls itself our family?"

"I suppose we better," Selma quietly chuckles.

"I'll meet you two out there in a little bit," Maggie tells them. "The twins are starting to wake and I want to feed them before I go out."

"Do you mind if we wait then?" Selma asks. "I'd rather go out with you."

"That's fine by me if you don't mind waiting," Maggie replies as Abe hands her the nursing pillow.

"We don't mind at all, honey," Selma assures her daughter as Maggie starts to prepare to breastfeed the babies.

"Um, I think I need to go use the restroom," Rupert suddenly states as he quickly gets up and exits the room.

"I guess he's still not used to the idea that you're all grown up now," Selma smirks. "But that's ok, he'll get used to it."

"I hope so," Maggie sighs as she gets the first baby latched on.

Hellboy has a sudden great interest in watching his son sleep while Maggie settles back with the twins firmly attached to her breasts. With a soft smile playing across her lips, she watches her little ones feed. Abe settles down beside her and takes up the vigil with her. When the babies are finally done and are being burped, Rupert returns to the room.

"That was some bathroom break, dear," Selma observes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Rupert replies a little uneasily.

When he finally gets the courage up to look at his daughter, he visibly relaxes. The prospect of his little girl burping one of her children doesn't seem to be as disturbing to him as watching her feed them. Once the gas has been release and diapers changed, Maggie goes and waits with her parents by the door. A minute later, John sticks his head in the door.

"They're ready for you now," John tells them with one of his shy smiles.

"Thanks, John," Maggie smiles. "You're an angel."

John blushes profusely as she and her parents walk past him. Maggie leads them through the family room and out the back door. They step into a walkway that along the sides and top are covered by a white canvas. They take the few steps necessary to clear the walkway and step into a giant tent where their family awaits.

The instant they step into the very large and tastefully decorated tent a thunderous roar of clapping and cheering fills the room. Rupert and Selma stand stunned at all the unfamiliar faces staring back at them. But what really has them shocked is all the faces they do recognize and how they've aged.

Susan and Peg step forward and take their children by the hand and lead them to the first table filled with family both familiar and unfamiliar. After the sixth table, names and faces begin to run together, but that's ok. Thanks to an idea that Sharon had, everyone is wearing a name badge with his or her name on it, whether they are on the Steele or Cavendish side of the family, their relation to Selma or Rupert and the name of their spouse if there is one.

It takes over an hour to get the nearly eighty introductions completed and by the time they are done, everyone is famished and Rupert and Selma are on the verge of collapsing. Maggie takes them over to the head table where they'll be sitting. Selma and Rupert notice that there are four place settings at the table. Once everyone has taken their seats, Manning walks in.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Dr. Tom Manning, director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense," Manning announces. "This evening you will be introduced to some rather…unique individuals. Like the abilities that some of you possess, their existence must remain a secret from the outside world. Are there any questions?"

"Do we have to wait for dinner until after the questions are asked and answered?" someone calls from the back.

"Yes," Manning answers.

"In that case, there are no questions," another voice calls out.

Laughter ripples through the room and Manning actually smiles. Maggie nearly dies from shock at that sight. Manning then catches her eye and he nods to her. Maggie stands up and joins him.

"Ok, as some of you might have heard, I'm married and I gave birth to twins nearly six weeks ago," Maggie states loudly. "The reason the majority of you haven't met them is because they are some of the unique individuals you'll meet tonight. That said I would like to introduce everyone to my husband Abe and our children Dylan and Morgan."

With that, Abe walks in with the twins in his arms and there is a collective gasp from about half of the people in the room. Susan and Peg go to meet him and immediately relieve him of the twins. They quickly show the babies to people around the room and explain which one is which as Maggie and Abe take their seats with her parents. After everyone has had a chance to see the babies, Manning reclaims everyone's attention.

"I would like everyone to meet Liz Sherman-Broom, the bureau's resident Fire Mage," Manning introduces as Liz shyly walks into the room. "Her husband and child are the last of the unique individuals you'll meet tonight. I must once again reemphasize that none of you tell anyone of his existence."

"For god's sake, Manning, just bring the big guy out and be done with," Ron gripes from his seat near the front of the room. "We're starving here."

More laughter fills the room until a large red figure steps through the doorway. While people had gasped at the sight of Abe, there is stunned silence at the sight of Hellboy and his son. It's one of those times when a pin dropped would surely be heard. After a few seconds, the quiet is shattered by the squeal of a happy little girl who squirms out of her father's lap and goes running over to Red and promptly puts her arms up to be held.

"Hey, squirt," an amused Hellboy chuckles as he leans down and lifts the little girl up into is his spare arm.

"Twevor puppy," Vicki giggles as she points at the red baby and Trevor smiles back at the happy girl.

"That's right, kid," Hellboy laughs. "That's Trevor."

"Ohmygod, Hellboy is real," someone stage whispers from the middle of the room.

"Last time I checked, at any rate," Hellboy smirks at the unknown whisperer. "You can all grill Maggie later about how she got mixed up with us. Right now I'm starved."

More laughter ensues as Hellboy returns Vicki to her parents and then takes his seat next to Liz who's sitting at a table with Guillermo and Dr. Hodson. A low murmur fills the room as people talk quietly amongst themselves. Fortunately, a few moments later, agents start filing into the room carrying large platters that servers at restaurants use filled with several plates each. Salad is served first to everyone with the exception being Hellboy who's simply given a very large bowl of chili.

Dinner progresses fairly pleasantly though several people stare openly as Hellboy puts away enough food to feed at least five people. About mid way through the meal, several of the children finish up and start chasing each other around the tables. New friendships are made and laughter is a frequent sound to be heard in the giant tent. An occasional cry interrupts the meal as a child is hurt either physically or by some unkind word said. Hugs, kisses and soothing words salve the wounds and a few minutes later the child is back to playing with his or her playmates. Adults mingle after the meal is over and some even have the courage to come over and talk to Abe and Hellboy.

One adventurous three year old wanders over to Hellboy's table and delights in trying to catch the large red tail that seems to have a mind of its own. One of the parents to the tot comes over to remove him only to be waved off by a large stone hand. The toddler is having great fun trying to pounce on the tail only to have it move out of the way at the last second and then arch back around and tap the little one on the back eliciting loud peals of laughter from the small child. A few more children join the game after a while making it more of a challenge for Hellboy to keep his tail from getting captured and not to accidentally knock any of the kids over with the appendage. Every once and a while, he lets one of the kids 'catch' his tail, especially if it seems that one is getting frustrated or upset by the game.

As the evening wears down, people say their goodbyes to Peg, Susan, Selma, Rupert and Maggie and leave. Mostly it's the parents with small children or those who are expecting one soon are first to go, followed by the older couples and finally the couples without children yet, singles and those with pre-teens and teens. Tears, hugs and kisses are plentiful as people depart and at long last the front door is closed for the final time as the last of the guests, Steven, his wife Cathy and the youngest of their three children, Samantha, take their leave. The five of them give a collective sigh of relief as the door clicks shut and an agent walks up to them.

"Mrs. Sapien, your children are awake," Agent Stone states.

"Thank you, Agent Stone," Maggie replies as she heads for the family room. "They're probably hungry again. Could you tell Abe that I need his help, please?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but he's in a meeting right now with Dr. Manning, Hellboy and Liz," Stone responds.

"There isn't another emergency is there?" Maggie asks worriedly.

"No, ma'am, they're just going over the details of our departure tomorrow," Stone answers.

"Oh, ok," Maggie replies weakly. "Thank you, Agent Stone."

"My pleasure, ma'am," Stone nods and leaves.

Maggie picks up Dylan first and as she's trying to maneuver Morgan into her free arm, her mother picks up her granddaughter.

"Would you like me to help?" Selma asks.

"I would love help," Maggie sighs with relief and a smile.

The two women make their way upstairs with Rupert trailing along behind them. When Maggie and Selma reach Maggie's bedroom door, Rupert wishes his daughter good night and disappears through the master bedroom door.

"Wimp," Selma mutters under her breath.

"I heard that," Rupert yells back through the closed door.

The women snicker as they step into Maggie's room and Selma takes a good look around.

"It's certainly changed a lot," Selma muses. "No more pictures of kittens and horses pinned to the walls, no lacy spread on your bed."

"Abe won't admit it, but he doesn't deal well with frilly froo froo stuff," Maggie chuckles. "And as I recall, I wasn't too fond of that lace bedspread either."

"It was from your grandmother, we had to use it," Selma chuckles as she follows Maggie over to the bed.

Maggie hands her mother Dylan and then gets herself situated on the bed. Once she's ready, Maggie tells her mother what needs to be done to get the twins latched on. Once the twins are happily eating, Selma sits down on the foot of the bed and leans against the footboard.

"Is Abe leaving tomorrow?" Selma asks.

"Yes," Maggie sadly answers.

"Are you going with him?" Selma questions, not really wanting the answer.

"I told Abe I would," Maggie sighs, becoming rather depressed at where this conversation is going. "But that was before we knew about you and Dad being alive."

"Maggie, your father and I don't want to come between you and your husband, but I have to ask you something," Selma starts and only continues after Maggie nods, even though she won't look at her mother. "Would you please stay here with us? For a few days at least."

Maggie has been expecting and dreading this question for the last several hours. Hearing it being asked at last doesn't make the answer any easier. After letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Maggie gives the only answer she can.


	11. Of Love and Responsiblity

**Author's Notes:** Sorry about all the typos in the last chapter. I was a bit rushed trying to get it posted before I got booted off of the computer. At any rate, I think I've got all the problems people have pointed out and hopefully I won't be that careless again anytime soon. Just a quick reminder that this story is rated M. So please enjoy and review. I write faster with lots of reviews. Ok, I admit it. I'm a review junkie. Please feed my addiction.

* * *

Selma shuts the bedroom door with a sigh and heads for the bathroom. It's so good to be home again and back in their bedroom that the exhaustive day she's been through just doesn't seem so tiring.

"A wimp am I?" growls a voice behind her.

She knew that he was lying in wait for her before she even opened the door. She chuckles softly but doesn't turn around.

"Breastfeeding is a perfectly natural thing to do," Selma replies, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. "You used to love to watch me feed Maggie when I breastfed her. I can't believe that you get so skittish when she feeds her babies."

"Because she's my little girl," Rupert quietly grumbles in her ear as he steps up behind her. "I'm still getting used to the idea that she's an adult now. Heck, I'm still having problems with the idea that I'm a grandfather."

"So much has changed," she agrees with a sigh.

"And some things have remained the same," he purrs as his arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer and his lips find her ear.

"How long has it been?" she moans as her head tilts to the side while she reaches behind her to find that his clothes are long gone and something hard is poking her in the small of her back.

"Too long," he snarls just before he starts to nibble his way down her neck and his hands wander north.

"Not since we were on the island," she whimpers as her hands rub up and down his legs and hips.

"Been almost a week," he hisses into her ear, causing goose bumps to form and her nipples to get hard.

He tugs her blouse out of her pants and then pulls it over her head. As soon as her top is gone, she turns and faces her naked and fully aroused husband. Lips meet in a passionate, all consuming kiss that drives out all rational thoughts. The only thing they have now is a need to be with each other and short of the house falling down around their ears; nothing is going to stop them. In a matter of moments the rest of Selma's clothes are strewn about the room and the two of them are on the bed reacquainting themselves with the feel of each other's bodies.

* * *

After what seems like an eternity, the meeting is finally over and Abe heads back upstairs. As he reaches the top of the stairs and enters the hallway, he sees Selma exit Maggie's room and then disappears into her own. He starts to pull off his gloves as he makes the short walk to his wife's room.

He quietly slips into the low lit room and shuts the door behind him. Maggie jumps and only barely manages to contain a scream with her hand over her mouth. Abe stands and stares at her as she's almost completely undressed with the exception being her panties and bra. After she realizes who it is, her hand drops from her mouth to her chest covering her wildly beating heart as she glares at him.

"You nearly scared me to death," she hisses reproachfully.

"Good thing I didn't," he quietly replies as he walks up to her, eyeing her body like it is a feast and he is a starving man. "I'd hate to have to ravage a dead body."

"Is that all you ever think about?" she teasingly asks as she turns back towards the dresser she's standing in front of.

"Only when you're around," he chuckles as he stalks towards her, barely even aware of the twins sleeping peacefully in their crib.

"I need to talk to you about tomorrow," she says as he reaches up and undoes her bra for her.

"It can wait," he growls as she lets the bra drop to the ground.

She starts to reach for her sleeping bra but stops as he reaches around her and takes a breast in each hand. A groan resonates through his chest as he caresses the soft warm skin. She's not doing much better as he fondles the sensitive orbs and her legs now seem to be made out of pudding.

"I really need to talk to you," she pants as she grabs hold of the dresser to keep from collapsing.

"Is it a matter of life and death?" he asks just before he starts gently dropping kisses on the strap marks on her shoulders that the bra made.

"No," she whimpers as she leans against him for support.

"Then it will wait," he growls right before he latches onto her neck.

Anything that might have resembled a coherent thought is long gone as he turns her around and claims her lips with his own. In very short order his gear is strewn across the floor with her clothes with the exception being the respirator that's lying on top of the dresser in its multitude of components and her panties are heaven knows where. Soon they are on the bed exploring the other's body with hands and lips completely driven by need and want.

* * *

Liz and Hellboy step onto the top landing with a sleeping Trevor in Red's arms as the door to Maggie's room clicks shut. Liz quietly shows Red the room they've been given and they enter in silence. After laying Trevor in the portable crib, Hellboy takes a look around the room as he shrugs out of his duster and tosses it onto the dresser. Liz simply collects some things from her bag and heads back out of the room.

When she returns several minutes later, she's wearing a bathrobe, her face looks freshly washed and her ebony hair has been brushed to a shimmering sheen. Hellboy is sitting on the bed with his back against the middle of the headboard wearing only his black shorts. He quietly watches her as she crosses the room, tail slightly twitching and observers her putting the items she's carrying back in her bag.

She can practically feel his smoldering stare as she pretends not to notice. She finally turns and faces those glowing amber eyes that are all but burning twin holes in her. He crooks a large stone finger at her and with a smirk on her face she sashays over to the bed. His tail comes up and undoes the tie around her waist.

After the robe falls open and shows him only a small portion of the tantalizing little number she's wearing, he pushes robe out of the way with his prehensile appendage. She lets the material fall to the floor and the sound of something between a growl and a groan fills the room. Her smirk turns into a fully fledged grin as she crawls up next to him on the bed.

Not satisfied with her speed, he reaches out and pulls her to him, landing her in his lap. Without a word, his lips come crashing down on hers as his left hand plays with a quickly hardening nipple through the thin material covering her. She lets out a small whimper and in short order, clothing is a distant memory.

* * *

It's been a long day for everyone and Guillermo is about dead on his feet. Manning, the great big wind bag, kept the poor librarian after the meeting to go over some of the finer details with him. With an exhausted sigh, Guillermo puts his foot on the first step of the staircase and stops dead in his tracks.

He can 'feel' five hearts beating wildly and he knows there's no way he's going to be able to get to sleep with all the 'activities' going on up there. With a groan, he turns, leaning heavily on his cane and starts to head for the kitchen. Before he can get more than a couple painful steps, Susan passes him as she heads up the stairs.

"How sensitive is your hearing?" he quietly asks.

"My hearing is just fine, thank you," she tartly answers, stopping about half way up the staircase. "Why do you ask?"

"You might want to wait then," he replies. "It's probably a little noisy up there right now."

"I don't hear the children crying," she responds, looking back up the stairs.

"Listen more closely," he suggests.

After a few seconds, she turns bright red and beats a hasty retreat back down the stairs looking very flustered.

"Care to join me for some warm milk?" he inquires as he once again slowly starts for the kitchen.

"Sounds lovely," she replies as she tries to keep a grip on her composure.

They walk together in companionable silence until they get to the kitchen. Once there, he drags out a small sauce pan from the cupboard and fills it about half way with milk he retrieves from the fridge. She digs out a couple of mugs and sets them on the counter. Several minutes later, the milk is warm and Guillermo pours it into the mugs. He hands her a mug and they stand there in the kitchen dwelling in their own thoughts.

"Do you miss him?" he asks out of the blue.

"Who?" she counter questions.

"Your late husband," he clarifies.

"With every breath," she sighs sadly, staring into her half empty mug. "You miss your wife?"

"With every heartbeat," he responds with equal sadness.

"So, how did you know…um…they were…uh," she tries to ask.

"I could feel their heartbeats going a mile a minute," he smirks into his cup just before taking another sip.

"So, um, who…" she attempts the next question.

"I believe all six of them, though I only 'felt' five heartbeats," he replies. "Even when Abe's standing next to me I can't 'feel' him. It's a bit aggravating really. He sneaks up on me all the time back home. Drives Maggie to distraction too."

"She should listen for him then," she states. "That respirator he wears makes an awful racket with all that gurgling and hissing it does."

"I'll have to suggest that to her," he chuckles.

"Think they're done yet?" she inquires.

"Almost," he replies a few seconds later, another smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

* * *

Selma hangs onto the headboard for dear life as Rupert holds onto her hips and takes her from behind. The room is filled with the sounds of grunts, whimpers, panting and human flesh slapping together. She can feel the pressure building, and just when she's sure she's about to explode, he gives a primal growl as he gives one final, powerful thrust which sends her over the top.

Several seconds later, they collapse onto the bed in an exhaustive heap. A couple minutes pass before they're able to move themselves into more comfortable positions. They revel in the soft bed, comfortable sheets and warm covers, sighing at the feeling of such bliss.

"You know, I'd forgotten how good it feels not to have sand in everything," he mummers sleepily.

"Tell me about," she chuckles, barely able to keep her eyes open, not that she's trying all that hard.

"So, did you ask Maggie?" he mutters into her hair as he pulls her closer.

"Yes," she yawns.

"And…?"

* * *

Watching Liz ride him is almost more than Hellboy can take. Her head is thrown back as the creamy white skin gleams with a thin layer of perspiration. His left hand plays with the already taut nipple as the right supports her back. She holds onto his shoulders as she continues to slide herself along his turgid length. A few more thrusts and she can feel herself flying over the edge into euphoria with him right behind her. Something short of a miracle keeps them from yelling out their release.

She collapses onto his broad chest, panting with the exertion. A short time later, he rearranges them so that they're lying down. Then he manages to grab the comforter and pull it over them, not wanting her to get cold. He can feel sleep starting to pull him under just as the first set of loud footsteps pass their door.

* * *

Maggie lies on her back trying not to make too much noise as Abe slowly tortures her with his mouth and tongue, adding an occasional nip to just to make her gasp. He kisses his way around one of her delectable breasts, savoring the treat that's been hidden from him for so long. He's been avoiding touching the areola and nipple up to now. But judging from the little whimpers and moans that she's making, he better do it soon before she jumps him.

With a great deal of care, he gently kisses around the areola and she whimpers once more, squirming underneath him. He lifts his head and looks at her with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She stares back at with eyes dark with passion as her hands pull on him, trying to get him in a better position. He starts to poise himself; ready to take her to the highest heights when something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye.

He looks down at the breast he had been previously kissing and sees a single pearly drop on the tip of her nipple. Curiosity gets the better of him and he dips his head back down and gently licks the droplet off of her. She gasps and arches her back while a shiver runs down his spine. He wants more of the sweet fluid so he starts to lave the tight pink bud, stimulating it to get more milk, he can't stop himself. He continues until he feels her nails starting to dig into his flesh.

"Abe, please," she begs with a hiss.

He knows that he's pushed her nearly too far and that she's starting to get frustrated and angry. He gently kisses her which she returns with a fierce hunger. Without even realizing what he's doing, he slides into her and within a few thrust, sends her flying over the precipice.

He waits for her to catch her breath before he slowly starts moving again. The heat of her body delightfully burns him and the small whimpers and grunts she makes excite him beyond words. He quickly picks up the pace and all too soon they're both stepping off the edge into a delightful oblivion.

As the memories flood their minds, Abe takes a sudden unnecessary breath in surprise. He quickly pulls away from her eliciting a cry of loss and confusion from her as he jerks himself out of her reach. He sits at the end of the bed for a few seconds as she looks at him with hurt and confusion written across her face. When sad understanding takes over he launches himself out of the bed and into the bathroom.

With great difficulty, she tries to follow him. Her legs aren't quite ready to work yet, so she half staggers half stumbles towards the bathroom. When she gets there, she leans against the doorframe, still not quite stable enough to stand on her own. He's cleaning himself up with a hand towel since he left her before he was done.

"Abe," she starts. "I tried to tell…"

"You said you'd come back with me," he snarls, cutting her off.

"I will go back, but I need to stay here for now," she tries to explain.

"Why?" he growls.

"Come on, Abe, they're my parents," she snaps back as some small part in the back of her mind picks up the twins becoming distressed. "They just got back. What am I supposed to do? Hand them the keys to the house and say, 'thanks for coming home, see you later'?"

"You told me you were coming back with me," he reiterates as he turns his back on her and drops down onto the lid of the toilet.

"I will go back, but not for a few days," she points out, still not quite acknowledging the sounds of whimpering coming from the crib. "What kind of daughter would I be if I just left them right after they get home?"

"What kind of wife are you being right now?" he mutters under his breath.

A gasp followed by a strangled sob tells him that he hadn't been as quiet as he hoped. By the time he turns around, the bathrobe that hangs on a hook next to the door and Maggie are gone. He growls deep in his throat, finishes wiping himself off, throws down the towel and goes in search of his shorts.

When he hears the whimpering of the babies, he forgets his clothes and goes to quiet them. Belatedly, he realizes it was his and Maggie's fight that woke them and caused them such distress. He gently strokes their heads and sends them soothing thoughts. After a couple minutes they calm down enough to go back to sleep. Once they do, Abe goes in search of his gear.

* * *

"I think it might be safe to go to bed now," Guillermo announces as he puts his mug in the dishwasher.

"That's a relief," Susan sighs. "I am just plumb dead on my feet. What a day it's been. I'm surprised that any of them had the energy to…um…"

"Do the horizontal mambo?" he teasingly asks. "Set the quilts to quiverin'?"

"Guillermo Chavez, you have a right filthy mind," she reprimands. "Do you know that?"

"Thank you," he laughs as he heads for the door.

No sooner do they enter the hallway then they flatten themselves against the wall as Maggie comes tearing through wearing nothing more than a bathrobe that she's barely holding together. She's obviously crying and completely unaware of anything or anyone around her. Guillermo and Susan continue to stand with their backs to the wall as several moments later they hear a door slam shut.

"She's just sealed the house off," he announces in surprise as he looks the way Maggie went.

"Where's Abe?" Susan asks, looking back the way she had come. "I can't hear anyone else coming."

"I don't know," he admits. "Why don't you go look for him? I'll see if I can get the doors opened. I'm sure the agents that are patrolling outside won't appreciate not being able to get to a bathroom."

"I wonder what he did this time," she grumbles to herself as she heads upstairs.

With much groaning and grumbling, Susan drags herself to the top of the stairs and then hauls her old bones down the hallway, past her room to Maggie's room. The door is ajar and she can hear someone moving around in there. She opens the door and gets more than she bargained for. Abe has his back to the door and he shorts are about half way on.

"Oh, merciful heavens," she gasps just before she turns around, slams the door shut behind her and immediately marches back down stairs.

* * *

Their first clue that something is wrong isn't the voices coming from Maggie's room or the sound of whimpering babies. It's when Rupert hears his mother come the closest to swearing that she ever does and the slamming of a door that they have an inkling that something's going on. Rupert gets up and quickly dresses while Selma takes a bit more time. Considering that she has to find some of the articles of clothing, she manages to get dressed fairly quickly. By the time they do get out the door, Abe is dressed and half way down the hall, headed for the stairs.

"Abe, what's going on?" Selma asks.

Abe turns and looks at the approaching couple, turns a deeper shade of blue, turns on his heel and quickly walks away from them.

"What was that all about?" Rupert wonders, baffled by their son-in-law's behavior.

"Don't know," a deep voice rumbles from just behind them. "But Maggie went charging down the hall a little while ago. Then Grandma came up here and started slamming doors"

Rupert and Selma turn around to look at Hellboy who's taking up most of the doorway of his and Liz's room and wearing only shorts. Liz slips past him wearing only a robe and looking very worn out.

"Is there anyone watching the twins?" Liz inquires.

"I doubt it," Selma replies. "I have a feeling Abe and Maggie have had a fight. And I'm afraid it's my fault."

"Why would them fighting have anything to do with you?" Hellboy asks as he leans against the door frame.

"I asked Maggie to stay here for a few days," Selma tells him. "She said yes."

"Oh, boy," Liz moans. "Abe was talking about Maggie coming back with us tomorrow. After all they've been through; he was looking forward to things getting back to normal."

"Normal?" Rupert asks with an eyebrow quirked higher than the other.

"Well, as normal as our lives ever get around the bureau," Liz smiles. "Red, please put Trevor in Maggie's room. I'll watch the kids while all of you go and look for Maggie."

"How hard can she be to find?" Hellboy questions. "It's not like this place is the maze that the bureau is."

"Maggie's not in the house," Liz answers. "There's one less warm body in the house than there should be."

"Liz is right," Selma confirms a few seconds later. "Maggie's not in the house and to top it off, she's sealed the house up. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to break her hold. I'd better get down there and see what's happening."

With that, Selma quickly heads downstairs with Rupert right behind her.

* * *

After a bit of searching, Susan finds Guillermo standing inside the atrium scowling at the door that leads out.

"She's sealed it something good this time," he grumbles. "Used to be a time where she could only seal off one door and with a little effort either Selma or I could break her hold. But not now. What did Abe have to say?"

"Um, nothing," she replies a little too quickly.

"You're heart rate just went through the roof," he points out as he twists his head around to look at her. "What happened?"

"He…well…um…uh," she stammers.

"She walked in on me while I was getting dressed," Abe states flatly coming up behind Susan who turns an incredible shade of red. "I can't get the back door open. Can you help me open it?"

"No," Guillermo answers, turning fully around and narrowing his eyes at the merman as Susan attempts to discreetly put some distance between her and Abe. "What happened up there?"

"That is between Maggie and myself," Abe replies with very little inflection in his voice.

"Well, considering whatever it is that happened caused Maggie to seal off the entire house, I'd say it's everybody's business now," Guillermo retorts.

"We had a disagreement," Abe growls, turning a darker shade of blue again and crossing his arms across his chest.

"And if it's what I think it is, I'm afraid that would be my fault," Selma states as she and Rupert step into the room and Abe moves away from them. "I asked Maggie to stay for a few days. I'm sorry, Abe. I didn't know you had your heart so set on her going home with you."

"Fine, just get me out of here," Abe growls back, not looking Selma in the eye. "I want to go for a swim."

Psychic or not, Abe never sees it coming. One moment he's standing, the next thing he knows is he's lying on his back staring at the glass ceiling above him and the back of his knees are in great pain. Of course, everything from his backside to his head isn't doing so great either since that's what hit the floor first. Guillermo is glaring down at him as the others look on in shock and surprise.

"Was that really necessary?" Abe asks barely containing his anger as he carefully gets off the tiled floor.

"It was the knees or your head," Guillermo retorts. "Since I don't think Maggie would forgive me if I did permanent damage to you, I went for the knees. Now, Selma, dear, between the two of us, we might be able to get this door open and find your very distraught daughter."

"Hopefully before she catches her death cold," Susan adds.

"I know it's not a summer's night and being this close to the ocean it can get pretty cold, but she should be fine as long as she's dressed properly," Selma states.

Guillermo and Susan stare at Selma.

"She is wearing clothing, isn't she?" Selma inquires worriedly.

"Technically, yes, she's wearing clothing," Guillermo replies.

"It's just not a whole lot," Susan puts in. "She was only wearing a robe when she went rushing past Guillermo and me, and from the looks of it, that's all she was wearing."

"Come on, Guillermo, we've got work to do," Selma orders as she walks up to the door.

"Mother, do you know where Maggie keeps the flashlights?" Rupert asks Susan. "We're going to need them."

"I think I saw some in the kitchen," Susan answers. "I'll go check."

"I'll come with you," Rupert offers.

They leave Selma and Guillermo standing side by side in front of the door staring at it and Abe off to the side watching them. After about five minutes and much muttering between the two of them, they are finally able to release Maggie's hold on just the door. With a sigh of relief from the two Earth Mages, Guillermo reaches out and opens the door just as Rupert and Susan return with a couple flashlights and the throw from the back of the couch in the family room draped over Rupert's shoulder.

"Thank goodness," Susan sighs as Rupert moves closer to the door. "We could only find two flashlights."

"That's plenty," Selma smiles as she takes the one from Susan. "Why don't you and Guillermo go on up to bed? Rupert and I will go look for Maggie."

"We'll get something warm for her to eat," Susan offers. "She must be just about frozen about now. Besides, how are we to sleep knowing that she's out there?"

"Could you get a warm bath started for her too, please?" Selma asks.

"I'll go ask Liz," Susan responds. "She can always heat it up again if the water gets cold."

"Handy to have a Fire Mage around," Selma smiles before turning towards the door.

She stops short as her husband is blocking the door and glaring at Abe who's obviously been trying to get out.

"Are you going somewhere?" Rupert snarls.

"I intend to go for a swim," Abe answers, not backing down from his father-in-law.

"You can do that after you help us find Maggie," Selma suggests as she links one of her arms through one of Abe's.

"No," Abe firmly states as he pulls away from Selma.

"Suit yourself," Selma responds as she shrugs and turns towards the door. "It's only your marriage you're damaging. Nothing important."

With that, she walks out the door with Rupert at her side. Abe steps outside and stands there. He's angry about the whole bloody situation. The fact that Maggie didn't tell him has him pretty steamed and that she even entertained the idea of staying behind has got his scales rubbed the wrong way. But despite how mad he is at her, he's also worried about her. What in the world possessed her to come out here with nothing more than a robe on?

But he knows the answer to that. He basically said that she's horrible wife. So now he can go swim in the ocean and wallow in self pity or he can go find his wife and try to set things right with her. He just stands there unable to make up his mind as anger and worry wage war in his head and heart. Before he can make a decision, Hellboy walks past him with the flashlight he keeps in duster in hand. A moment later, John follows him out with his own flashlight, keeping an eye on his charge.

"Where are you going?" Abe asks.

"I'm going to help bring your wife back," Hellboy rumbles without stopping.

"Why?" Abe inquires, starting to follow his large red friend. "_They_ can bring her back on their own. Let them. She'd rather be with them anyways."

"You hit your head or something?" Hellboy growls, glaring at Abe over his shoulder. "Have you taken a good look at them lately? They're skinny as twigs and twice as likely to break."

"They'll manage," Abe snarls, still trailing after the demon, John behind him.

"Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that," Hellboy states with a shrug. "I'm sure that'll bring you great comfort tomorrow morning when she doesn't come downstairs to say goodbye to you because she's too sick to get up. Or worse."

"She'll be fine," Abe responds, trying to convince himself that it's true more than Hellboy.

"Right, not like she's out here in next to nothing," Hellboy hotly replies. "After all she's a rational woman, she'll come in all sunshine and buttercups even though her husband said something to send her off the deep end once we explain to her that she needs to come in and get warm. I'm sure she'll see reason."

"Where are we going?" Abe grumbles, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know where you're going, but me and my shadow are headed for a grove of oak trees up ahead," Hellboy answers, jerking his thumb over his shoulder indicating John.

"Why there?" Abe questions.

"Guillermo said that when Maggie was upset as a child she went to one of two places, either the barn to sit in her horse's stall or to the oak trees," John tells Abe when Hellboy doesn't answer. "Depending on how upset she is depends on where she goes. If she's just peeved, she heads for the barn. If she's royally ticked off, she heads for the trees."

"And he thinks that she headed for the trees," Abe replies.

"It stands to reason," John responds. "She's in her childhood home so she's likely to go to her childhood haunts. Besides, he said that he 'checked' the barn and it's empty of everything but birds and mice. That leaves the trees."

"So, what are you going to do if she's not there?" Abe questions, though he's not sure if he's asking Hellboy or himself.

"I'll probably have to call Manning and have him send in the rest of the agents," John replies. "He'll probably organize some type of search party. He would get her back."

"And then he'll have her committed or something so he can have control of her and the twins," Hellboy snarls.

"He wouldn't do that," Abe tries to sound sure of himself.

"Yeah, he's a real nice guy," Hellboy snaps as he picks up the pace.

Abe just stretches his legs a bit more, but manages to keep up with Hellboy just fine. John on the other hand has to nearly start jogging to keep up.

"What's with you?" Abe asks the broad back in front of him.

Hellboy stops dead in his tracks causing Abe to put on the breaks. He barely manages to stop in time. John, unfortunately, isn't so lucky and ends up slamming into Abe who then bumps into Hellboy. Hellboy spins around suddenly and gets right in Abe's face. Abe can feel Hellboy's hot breath blowing across his face and see Hellboy's eyes glowing with anger.

"I could be lying in bed right now sleeping with Liz," Hellboy spits out through gritted teeth. "But instead of that, I'm out here looking for _your_ wife while _my_ wife watches _your_ kids."

"Nobody asked you to…," Abe starts.

"Your wife gets the greatest gift that the universe can give her and all you can do is moan about how unfair it is to you!" Hellboy bellows, leaning into Abe and causing the merman to take a step back.

Hellboy takes a step back and takes a deep breath, letting it out in great billowing clouds of steam. His right hand tightens into a fist; the sound of stone grating against stone fills the still night air.

"Do you have any idea what some of us would do to get what she's been given?" Hellboy growls deep in his throat. "What we would give just to have one more minute…"

Hellboy can't finish the sentence so he just turns on his heel and stalks off. Abe stares after him for several moments, blinking his nictitating membranes across his eyes several times. He turns and looks at John who simply looks back at him.

"I'm with him," John states before he turns and follows Hellboy.

Abe stands there and watches them and thinks. He thinks about when they first heard the news. He thinks about the emotional rollercoaster Maggie's been on. He thinks about all the work she's put into her parent's arrival.

He looks off the way Hellboy and John went and he can see off in the distance four lights moving around in a grove of trees and they seem to be concentrating around the base of very large oak tree. He knows that they've found Maggie, but for whatever reason, they're not coming back with her.

He thinks about his own life. He doesn't remember his parents. He has names and dates but nothing more. If his parents walked up to him right this instant he wouldn't be able to pick them out of a line up of two.

He looks back at the trees and he can see a dark form climbing the trunk of the tree. The height is right, but the build is all wrong for it to be Rupert, so it must be John. Abe continues to watch from a distance until he sees John fall out of the tree. He hears the yell of surprise and fear a second later.

Before Abe realizes what he's doing, he's running towards the small group. By the time he reaches the grove, Hellboy is helping John to his feet. Abe stops just outside the trees and watches quietly since no one seems to have noticed him coming up.

"You ok, squirt?" Hellboy asks as he makes sure John is steady before letting go.

"Yeah, I just lost my footing," John answers as he brushes himself off.

"Please, let us get her down," Selma begs the tree.

"Um, ma'am, why are you talking to the tree?" John asks.

"She's talking to the tree's dryad," Hellboy tells him. "Can't say that it's being very cooperative."

"If we don't get her down, she could become very ill," Selma continues to plead.

"Can you see the dryad?" John asks Hellboy.

"Yeah, but not very well," Hellboy replies. "It's not coming completely out of the tree."

"What's it saying?" John inquires.

"It's going on about the sapling is leaking sap," Hellboy scowls at the tree for a moment. "And a whole bunch of other stuff. Who knew a tree would be more talkative than Abe."

At the sound of his name, Abe is shocked out of his reverie. In that instant, he makes his decision. Going as silently as he can, he starts moving.


	12. Cold Hands, Warm Heart, Hot Body

"What kind of wife are you being right now?"

He might as well have shouted it into her face instead of whispering it on the other side of the room. For an instant, her whole world stops. Then in the back of her mind, the ugly little cockroach known as Doubt raises its disgusting head and starts to speak.

_He lied to me. He doesn't love me. He lied._

She doesn't really remember grabbing the robe that hung next to her much less putting it on or leaving the room or running through the house or sealing all the windows and doors closed or climbing the tree or even rearranging the branches to make a nest for herself at the spot where branches meet trunk. She's not really aware of the world around her as she curls into a fetal position and cries in near hysterics. All she knows is the pain and misery caused by nine little words.

When she first hears the voices of her parents, her first instinct is to climb down and let them fix everything. But Doubt makes Abe's words ring in her ears once more bringing a fresh wave of tears and self loathing with them. When she hears Hellboy mention Abe's name, cold numbness starts to seep into her soul, her body already shivering from it. She doesn't think she'll ever be warm again as she pulls herself into a tighter ball and tears wet the bark of the tree once more.

* * *

Abe circles around the trees until he's on the opposite side of the old oak from the rest of the group, his natural ability to see in the dark serving him well. Once he has a clear view of the back of the tree, he quietly takes off his gloves and stuffs them into one of his belt pouches. He has no doubt that the reason John fell out of the tree was because the dryad didn't want him to get to Maggie. Abe doesn't intend to give the tree spirit the same chance.

He prepares himself by getting into a sprinter's stance, flexing his muscles until he feels ready. Then with a burst of speed, he takes off like a shot towards the tree. A few feet from the trunk, he leaps into the air and hits the tree a second later with a loud 'thud.' Using momentum, strength, claws and suckers, he scrambles up to the top of the trunk where the branches all meet. Just as he makes his goal, he can feel the bark go suspiciously smooth under his hands.

He braces himself against the three large branches leading from the trunk and looks down. Maggie is curled up in a hole that she created simply by extending and moving the tree's trunk and branches. In the low light it's hard to tell, but her lips seem to be the wrong color. He reaches down and touches her hand and is surprised by how cold it is.

Before he can pull her up from her self made nest, an unseen force hits him causing his balance to suddenly shift. He quickly scrabbles to regain his position but is swiftly knocked off balance once more. He holds onto one branch with claws and suckers as the invisible foe continues its assault.

"Abe, what are you doing up there?" Selma calls out.

"Trying to get Maggie down," Abe yells back as he's hit once more.

The hits aren't hard enough to hurt him, but they are capable of knocking him off balance and quite possibly out of the tree if he lets go. He tries to see his attacker, but there's nothing there and he can't pick anything up psychically either. He wants to get to Maggie, but it's all he can do to hang on.

"The dryad thinks you're going to hurt her," Selma tells him. "I'll try and get it to calm down. But I must warn you that I'm better with animals than with plants. Maggie's the one with the talent for vegetation."

"Could you just hurry please," Abe replies with gritted teeth. "Maggie's skin was very cold when I touched it."

A second later, the attacks stop, but Abe continues to hold onto the tree until he hears Selma arguing with the dryad. Once he's sure the tree spirit is distracted, he releases his hold on the branch and goes to Maggie. He lays a hand on her back and checks her vital signs. When he looks at her face, red, bloodshot, tear filled eyes stare back at him and he can feel her body shivering. And then it hits him.

_He lied to me. He doesn't love me. He lied._

"I'm sorry," he whispers, barely able to block out most of her pain as he wipes away the fresh tears. "I do love you. I was angry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you. I'm sorry."

She tries to throw her arms around him, but after about an hour curled up in a tree on a cold night all she manages to do is hit him in the chest with one of her arms. He gives out a grunt at the solid blow. She whimpers and pulls away when she realizes what she's done. With a gentle smile, he places her arms around his neck as he carefully pulls her out of the hole.

She holds on as best she can, but the shivering turns to shaking and then into tremors all in very quick succession. Abe holds her tight as he moves her over to the edge of the nest.

"Hellboy, please take Maggie," Abe requests of his friend as he starts to lean over the side of the tree.

Hellboy reaches up and easily catches her as Abe lowers her down. All is going well until she refuses to let go of Abe's neck.

"Maggie, let go please," Abe says as he tries to loosen her grip on him. "Go with Hellboy, dear heart. I'll be down in a minute."

It takes several heartbeats before Maggie complies and relaxes her hold. As soon as she lets go, Hellboy holds her to his chest. Rupert comes over and wraps the throw he brought tightly around her body. Abe quickly starts to climb down only to have the unseen force once again hit him and this time it succeeds in knocking him out of the tree.

"Ouch," Abe groans as he looks up at a half moon through the branches of the tree.

"Sorry about that," Selma apologizes holding her hand out to him. "The dryad of this tree has always been a bit cranky."

"Good to know," he mutters as he takes her hand.

She tries to help him up, but nearly lands on top of him instead. He releases his hand and starts to get up on his own until John grabs his arm and hauls him to his feet. Abe smiles his thanks and then quickly follows Hellboy and Rupert who've already started for the house.

"John, can you call ahead to the house?" Abe asks the young agent.

"Sure, what do you need?" John replies.

"Maggie needs a warm bath ready and tea with lots of honey in it or hot chocolate," Abe tells him.

John talks into his wrist for a minute and then listens as he gets a reply back.

"Ok, they're working on it," John informs Abe.

"Thanks, John," Abe responds as he quickens his pace to catch up with Hellboy.

A short time later, though it seems more like an eternity to Abe, they're entering the house through the atrium where Susan meets them with a cup of hot coco in her hands.

"We're working on the tea," she states as she hands Abe the drink. "Liz has the bath ready up in Maggie's room."

"Thank you," Abe replies as he carefully takes the drink.

Without breaking stride, Hellboy quickly walks through the house, up the stairs and into Maggie's room. Liz is waiting for them by the bathroom door looking worried. They all go into the bathroom where Abe places the hot chocolate onto the counter and then he takes Maggie from Hellboy.

"Should we call Dr. Hodson?" Selma asks.

"No," Abe answers as he places Maggie in a sitting position on the floor next to the tub and starts to remove her from the blanket and robe she's in. "She's a gynecologist and a pediatrician; she's not a general practitioner."

"Abe's a doctor," Hellboy assures the worried parents. "She'll be fine with him taking care of her."

"I have to strip Maggie before I put her in the bath," Abe tells the room of people. "If anyone is uncomfortable with this, I suggest you leave now. Liz, could you please stay for a few moments?"

"Sure," Liz replies as Rupert and Hellboy quickly vacate the area.

"I want to make sure the water is the correct temperature," Abe states as he dips his hand in the water. "It's perfect, thank you."

"Not a problem," Liz replies. "Anything else you need?"

"No, thank you, Liz," Abe answers as he continues to strip his shivering wife. "Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning."

"Ok, goodnight," Liz responds just before she disappears through the doorway.

"Do you need my help for anything?" Selma asks.

"Yes, please bring me Maggie's drink," Abe requests as he picks Maggie up and carefully lowers her into the tub.

Selma quickly complies and Abe takes the warm drink from her and holds it to Maggie's lips. After a couple failed attempts, Maggie starts to drink her hot chocolate as Selma watches worriedly. Once the drink is done, Maggie starts to shake very violently and she looks up at Abe with fear in her eyes. Abe hands the empty cup back to Selma before he starts scooping warm water over the parts of her that can't fit under water thanks to a not so big tub.

"It's alright, love," he calmly tells her above the sound of her teeth chattering. "It's just your body's reaction to being warmed up after being cold for so long. You'll be ok."

Abe continues to calmly talk to her as her body starts to adjust to being warm again. His whole world revolves around her wellbeing and he's nearly startled out of his scales when a hand rests itself on his shoulder. He turns and sees Selma holding a different cup than the one before.

"Here's her tea," Selma states as Abe takes the cup.

"Thank you," Abe replies as he takes the mug.

Maggie drinks the tea without complaint as Abe puts more hot water in the tub. Once that drink is consumed, the cup is handed back to Selma who disappears with it only to return a short time later with another cup. This pattern repeats for about an hour until Maggie refuses to drink anything else because she's too full.

It's just as well as few moments later, the twins wake up for their midnight feeding. At Abe's request, Selma brings them in one at a time. Abe strips them, checks to make sure their not about to have a bowel movement and then places them in the water with Maggie.

Maggie sits up in the tub while they latch on much better than expected and watches passively as their color changes and their gills flare out from their necks. Maggie sinks back into the water after Abe encourages her to do so. He monitors them closely and something he suspected would happen, does.

"What happened to their noses?" Maggie asks, staring in wonder at her children.

"The nostrils closed," Abe replies. "Like a seal's does when it swims. Their gills are giving them all the oxygen they need right now. They won't be able to stay long since there isn't a lot of oxygen in the water to begin with."

"Oh, my," Selma breathes as she watches her grandchildren go through their transformation. "They're…they're…"

"A chip off the old block," Maggie smiles fondly at the two babes.

"Not quite," Abe chuckles. "I doubt that they'll be able to talk underwater like I can."

"That's good to know," Maggie states as a wicked smile creeps across her lips. "When they start back talking, I'll just through them in the tank with you and you can deal with them."

"Might not be a good idea, my love," Abe warns with an answering smile. "You don't want to know what I'll do for revenge."

"Hm, it could be worth the risk though," she snickers.

He chuckles as he leans over and gently kisses his wife's warm lips.

"Your lips look much better pink than blue," he observes as he adds a little more water to the bath.

"They feel better too," she sighs, sinking a little lower in the water.

The twins quite happily feed as their father keeps an eye on their breathing. After Selma finally gets used to her grandchildren's unusual abilities, Abe sends her to bed. She resists at first until a very large yawn convinces her otherwise.

Just as the twins are finishing nursing, Abe has Maggie sit up a bit so they can breathe with their lungs again. Morgan finishes first so Abe takes her, dries her off, burps her, dresses her and puts her to bed. When he returns Dylan is burped and happily floating in the water with his mother, eyes half closed. Abe takes him out with some minor amounts of protesting from the little one and repeats everything with Dylan that he did with Morgan with the exception of the burping.

When the babies are sound asleep, Abe returns to the bathroom with clothes for Maggie where he finds that she's nearly asleep herself. After pulling the plug, he helps her out of the bath, dries her off and helps her dress. Once he gets her into bed, he tightly tucks the covers around her and then climbs into bed next to her. He stays on top of the bedding for fear that his lower body temperature will cool her down again. She snuggles up to him as best she can and he wraps his arms around her. Within a matter of moments, they're both sound asleep.

* * *

They're shocked out of a sound sleep by a couple crying babies. Both of them let out groans as he rolls out of bed to retrieve the screaming infants while she sits up and gets ready to feed them. A little while later, the twins are happily nursing away as their parents slowly wake the rest of the way up.

A brief glance at the clock shows that Abe will be leaving in just under an hour. She tries to hide the sadness, but he can feel it without even trying. He removes the pillow that's supporting her back out from behind her and then takes its place. She gladly leans into him as he holds her from behind.

"That's odd," she whispers as the babies near the end of their feeding.

"What's odd?" he groggily asks, shocked out of his light doze.

"One of my nipples is sore and the other one isn't," she answers. "They were both sore last night before we made love but now only one of them hurts. I haven't had time to put the lanolin on, so I'm confused."

Abe gently lays a hand on top of each breast and then lets out a low chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she demands.

"It seems the breast that's not hurting is the one I was, um, licking," he purrs into her ear.

He can hear her breath catch in her throat and feel a shiver race down her back. He chuckles as he gently starts to stroke the soft, warm skin beneath his hands. She lets out a groan as her head falls back onto his shoulder and suddenly his shorts are too tight.

"I could lick the other one if you like," he suggests in a husky whisper.

"Oh, god, yes," she breathes as she can feel goose bumps forming everywhere and a certain part of her body heating up.

"We'll need to wait until the twins are done eating first, though," he reminds her as he pulls his hands away.

She lets out a whimpering moan at the thought of waiting and the loss of skin to skin contact. He chuckles once more as he plants a kiss on her neck. Another shiver charges down her spine as her breathing becomes faster.

"Beast," she whimpers as she forces her head into an upright position.

Abe just chuckles and a few minutes later Dylan finishes his meal. As Abe deals with getting him back to bed, Morgan falls asleep while still nursing. Maggie breaks the suction and then hands her daughter over to her husband. She watches as he lovingly places the little one next to her brother and a soft smile comes to her lips to see such a tender scene.

No sooner does he lie the child down than he is across the room and on the foot of the bed in a single leap causing her to giggle with surprise and the bedsprings to squeak in protest. He crawls like a predator over her body forcing her to lie back. She snickers and a single thought enters his mind from her: _catfish_. Before she can so much as gasp, his lips claim hers in a passionate kiss as his hand slides up under her top, over the warm skin of her stomach to finally reach that accursed night bra which she's pulled back over her breasts though she hasn't completely refastened it.

He's barely aware of his top being pulled off of him as he frees her breasts from the binding garment. He pushes her top up, exposing her torso and all of that delicious pale skin. He lets her up for air and utters a groan at her half naked form.

Starting at her navel, he starts to kiss, lick and nip his way up to those orbs that seem to be taunting him with her every breath. He hardly acknowledges his respirator being removed as he concentrates on driving her crazy. Even the air hitting his gills doesn't slow him down.

All too soon for him and not soon enough for her, he reaches her breasts. He starts to lick the sore nipple with broad strokes of his tongue and she lets out a low moan as her back slightly arches off of the bed. A drop of her milk hits his tongue and he can't help himself, he needs, wants more.

Using his lips and tongue to protect her from his teeth, he latches on and actually starts trying to nurse. She gasps and grasps the back of his head in her hands as her back comes completely off of the bed. She's blind with need and she's not sure what to do about it.

Careful not to scratch her with his nails, he slips his hand under the covers that are still hiding the lower half of her body. He quickly and easily finds the small bundle of nerves between her legs and swiftly sends her flying over the edge. By shear luck, she manages to grab a pillow and cram it over her face in time to muffle her screaming her release.

While she's still floating around the stratosphere, he slips out of bed to rid himself of his shorts. By the time he crawls under the covers with her, she's returned to Earth and she has a look of concern on her face. He staves off any questions by kissing her slowly and deliberately.

His hands caress her body as he carefully removes her clothing. She moans into his mouth as her hands delicately trace long strokes along his body. He draws away long enough to remove the last of her clothes before he pulls her into his arms and presses the evidence of his arousal into her leg.

She wraps her leg around his hips and tries to pull him even closer to her. He resists her at first, delighting in just nibbling on her earlobe and neck until she starts kissing his gills. With a snarl, he rolls her onto her back and slides into her sublime heat.

He promises himself that he'll go slow and make it last, but she has other plans. She licks his gills and then blows cool air across them causing a chill to run up his spine. A growl resonates through the room as he starts slamming himself into her sending her flying towards the edge of oblivion. In a matter of moments he can feel the tingle that starts at the base of his spine and travels to his sack, causing it to pull up into his body as he spills his seed into her.

Their memories flood each other's minds as they hold onto one another as if their lives depend on it. As he comes back down from his high, he realizes that she's crying. He rolls the two of them over so that she's lying next to him and then he pulls the covers up more snugly around them. Sometime later, she relaxes her hold on him as she starts to drift off to sleep. He then slips out of bed again causing her to whimper.

"Hush, my love, I'll be right back," he whispers in her ear just before he kisses her temple.

She simply nods and watches him as he moves around the room. A few moments later he returns with her clothes in hand. He tries to pull the covers down, but finds that she's holding on to them. After a brief tug-o'-war, he wins by yanking so hard that he causes her to sit up.

"Well, that will make getting your clothes back on a little easier," he chuckles as he pulls her top over her head.

She simply scowls at him as she puts her arms through the sleeves. Then he hands her the panties and pajama bottoms which she grudgingly dons. When she's finally fully dressed, he crawls back in bed with her. She nestles down in his arms and in a matter of a few minutes she's sound asleep.

He holds her closer feeling as if his heart will break at the thought of leaving his family behind. He tries to hold onto the thought that she'll be joining him in a few days. But the sadness is almost more than he can bear as he closes his eyelids and holds her even closer.

"Abe!" Guillermo hisses as he gives Abe's shoulder a good shake.

"What?" Abe quietly growls, opening his eyes and glaring at the man as best he can.

"You're making that god awful keening noise again," Guillermo softly grumbles. "We leave in ten minutes, so you better get yourself downstairs. Preferably dressed."

With that, Guillermo turns and limps out the door. Abe waits until he hears the door click shut before throwing back the covers and climbing out of the bed. He quickly recovers Maggie and tucks her in before he goes in search of his gear.

Five minutes later Abe is stepping off of the staircase into the foyer. There's controlled pandemonium as the BPRD agents get ready to move out. He barely even notices an agent brush past him going into the house as he comes out.

When he steps out into the pre-dawn light, he sees that the flatbed truck is now parked in front of the house and there are two crates strapped to the back. Despondently, he climbs into his crate and sits on his bench, leaning against the back wall. Just as the agents are putting the side on his crate, all hell breaks loose.

* * *

The agent slides into the room as quiet as smoke, mindful of the sleeping occupant in the bed. He quickly collects the items he was sent to retrieve and just as softly as he entered, he leaves. He almost makes it to his destination when everything falls apart.

* * *

She's drifting in the white cloud of sleep. She floats in its billowing softness, knowing nothing but love and kindness. Everything is wonderful until she's ripped from her slumber by the sound of the terrified screams of her children. 


	13. Departure

Maggie is out of the bed in a flash and with barely more than a thought, the door to her room is suddenly nothing more than splinters scattered across the floor. She charges out the doorway so fast that she bounces off the wall opposite her room. It barely slows her down as she charges down the hall towards the sound of her children.

She nearly flies down the stairs and as she approaches the bottom she can see the agent trying to hold onto the babies as they scream and squirm away from this stranger. There's another man there attempting to get the agent out the door as quickly as possible. Maggie doesn't need to see his face to know who it is. She intends to end this once and for all as she starts pulling the Power to her.

* * *

As the side of the crate is lifted into place, Abe's heart sinks even lower, knowing that he is really leaving and not sure when he's going to see his family again. Then the sound of the twins screaming in fear hits him like a sludge hammer. Without even thinking, he smashes into the unsecured side of the box, yanking it out of the hands of the startled agents trying to fasten the thing. Abe is out of the crate and through the front door in a matter of seconds.

Once there he finds one of Manning's stooges trying to hold onto the twins as they object to a stranger handling them and Manning is there pushing the agent towards the door, attempting to yell directions above the screeching of the babies. Then he sees Maggie come down the stairs and watches as she spots Manning. The look of worry and fear that is on her face is replaced by pure hatred and he can sense what she's about to do.

* * *

They're drifting off to sleep again after the strange keening noise stops, but the screams of the twins jolt the lot of them upright in their beds. Seconds later, the sound of wood being blown into about a million pieces reach their ears. Selma, Rupert, Peg and Susan are out of their beds and in the hall in a matter of moments.

The remains of Maggie's bedroom door are scattered around about a five foot radius from her doorway and Maggie is almost to the stairs. Peg and Susan's doors are past the carnage so they start to follow their granddaughter unhindered. Rupert spends several seconds blowing the splinters to the side of the hall so he and Selma can safely get by. When they are able to pass they follow as quickly as they can and try not to panic from the blood they see on the floor. Part way down the stairs, they can see pure pandemonium taking place.

An agent has the twins and is trying to keep hold of them as Manning is practically pushing him out the door. Agents are running in from everywhere when Abe charges through the door. Then Abe opens his mouth and everything stops.

* * *

"**_MAGGIE! NO!"_** Abe screams both mentally and physically.

The mental stun is such that Maggie collapses in mid-run, sliding to a stop a few feet later. He doesn't need to be a mind reader to know what she's thinking. The accusing glare speaks volumes. He doesn't even notice that everyone else is slightly stunned and staggering from his psychic shout.

Instead of trying to explain to Maggie his actions Abe steps up to the would be kidnapper and relieves him of the babies. The twins stop screaming but they're still very upset. Before Abe can move, Manning blocks his path.

"Fine, I don't care who gets these kids out to the car, but just do it," Manning orders, having to look up slightly at Abe.

"The twins are staying here with their mother," Abe replies in a quiet but stern voice.

"I said I wanted you and your kids on the plane today last week and I'll have no arguments," Manning demands.

"I'm not arguing," Abe calmly tells him as he steps around the director and heads for his wife. "I'm stating a fact. The children are staying here."

"I'm in charge here!" Manning yells at Abe's back.

"Give it a rest, Manning," Hellboy growls from the front doorway. "The twins are staying."

"You, you, you and you," Manning states pointing at various agents. "Take those kids out to the car and use whatever force necessary to do it."

Four agents pull their guns out as Abe kneels down next to Maggie and four agents almost immediately drop them as they become to hot to handle. They watch in stunned disbelief as their weapons become a melted mixture of plastic and metal.

"Good one, Sparky," Hellboy quietly chuckles to Liz who's standing next to him.

"Thanks," Liz responds, smiling up to her husband as Manning steps up behind Abe.

"Those kids are top secret government property!" Manning shouts to everyone as Abe hands the twins over to their mother. "And I want them out in the car NOW!"

Not even the Mages have time to react as Abe turns around in his crouch and springs up running, slamming Manning into the wall behind him. Manning gasps in surprise and then for air as the angry merman pins him with a blue arm just under his neck, nearly cutting off the director's air. Abe is so angry that he's turned such a dark blue to be nearly black and his eyes are glowing red.

"They stay with their mother," Abe hisses through clenched teeth. "You ever try to pull this shit again and I'll let Maggie kill you as she had intended."

With that, Abe shoves himself away from Manning, turns on his heel and storms over to his wife who's still on the floor holding the twins. Manning collapses to the floor, gasping for air as the agents stand around unsure of what to do next. Guillermo finally pops his head in the front door around Hellboy's bulky frame and only sees the aftermath of the incident.

"What'd I miss?" he asks.

"Manning tried to sneak the twins out of the house," Hellboy replies.

"What for?" Guillermo inquires.

"He was planning on bring them back to the bureau," Hellboy answers.

"Without Maggie?" Guillermo says in amazed wonder. "He still breathing?"

"Only just," Hellboy snickers, nodding towards the director who's only now getting up off of the ground.

"What are those blobs on the floor?" Guillermo questions.

"Oh, you missed it," Hellboy grins as he drapes an arm around Liz's shoulders. "Sparky melted four guns at once."

"You did?" Guillermo asks excitedly to Liz who blushes a bit and nods. "Excellent work, my dear, excellent work."

Meanwhile, Abe goes over to Maggie, his color quickly returning to normal at the sight of his family. Maggie gives him a sad smile as he leans over and tries to help her to her feet. She lets out a pained whimper the instant she tries to put weight on her foot. Abe looks at the bottom of her foot and then blinks at her in surprise.

"Dare I ask how you got splinters in your foot?" he asks.

"I believe Maggie didn't feel like bothering with the doorknob so she destroyed her bedroom door," Rupert replies as he and Selma take the last few steps into the foyer, his ears still ringing from Abe's shout.

"Well, that explains the blood on the floor," Selma states with a sigh of relief. "At first I was worried that it was from the twins."

"Will someone please bring me my medical bag?" Abe requests of no one and everyone.

John is the first to move and he quickly leaves to go retrieve the bag in question. He swiftly slips past Hellboy and as they're waiting, Manning steps toward the family but is stopped by Hellboy grabbing the director by the back of his expensive jacket in a stone hand.

"Why don't you and I go have a talk," Hellboy suggests as he walks Manning out the door, the director's feet only just touching the floor.

Maggie and the twins are moved to the parlor so they can be more comfortable as Susan goes off to retrieve towels to protect the furniture, returning a short time later. Soon after Maggie is settled on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, cushioned by the towels, Abe is taking a closer look at her feet by the light of a lamp that has had its shade removed.

"Some of these are very deep," he observes. "I should numb the area before I remove them."

"How are you going to numb the area?" Maggie whimpers.

"I'll give you a shot," Abe answers calmly causing a whine to escape her throat. "I know you don't like needles, love, but it's better than trying to remove them without the Novocain."

"Says you," she grumbles childishly.

She starts to squirm around, uncomfortable with the thought of getting stuck with a needle even though the splinters are really starting to hurt. Now that the adrenalin is wearing off, the exhaustion, pain and worry are combining to make her entire body shake. The twins start to pick up on their mother's state of mind and they begin to whimper.

"Hush, loves," Maggie coos to the little ones. "I'm sorry. Mommy didn't mean to upset you."

"Maybe you should feed them while I take care of your feet," Abe suggests as John walks in with Abe's bag. "Just pay attention to them and ignore what I'm doing."

"How am I supposed to ignore being poked in the foot with a sharp pointy object?" she sullenly demands as she hands the twins to Peg and Selma.

"Just think of it as one of the splinters that's already in there," he calmly replies as he starts to take out the necessary equipment.

"That's not helpful," she growls as she latches the first baby on.

"Just don't watch," he replies as he stabs the needle into a rubber topped glass bottle, pumps air from the syringe into the bottle and then pulls the clear liquid into the syringe.

Maggie whimpers again and unconsciously starts to pull her legs towards her body. Abe grabs the ankle of the closer leg and holds onto it while she continues to try and draw it back as he attempts to inject the Novocain into the squirming body part. Abe isn't having much luck getting the needle anywhere near the foot, much less into the skin as the leg it's attached too keeps dancing around. It's not until a large red hand grabs hold of the limb that he manages to get the needle in, eliciting a squeal of pain from Maggie.

Between Abe and Hellboy, the shots are finally administered leaving Maggie whimpering and trembling. Fortunately, it's Dylan that is latched on and he's too busy eating to notice his mother's distress. Without Dylan to telepathically bother her, Morgan falls asleep in her grandmother's arms.

"She never liked needles as a child," Selma states without looking at Hellboy or Abe, her eyes on her granddaughter. "Can't say as I'm a fan of them either. And after last week, I could go for a very long time without seeing another one."

"I'm done now," Abe says as he snaps the needle off of the syringe into a little medical hazard box. "I'll give it a few minutes to take effect and then I'll take the splinters out."

"Great," Maggie replies in a slightly higher pitched voice than normal.

Abe quietly chuckles as he sits down on the couch next to her. He takes Dylan from her as soon as he's done eating and hands him off to Peg as Maggie straightens her clothes. He pulls her close and simply holds her, neither one saying a thing.

"Maggie, are you ok?" Dr. Hodson asks, sticking her head into the room. "I only just heard what happened."

"I'll be fine, doctor, thank you," Maggie answers, trying hard not to snivel.

"She'll be even better once I get those splinters out of her feet," Abe puts in.

"Splinters?" Hodson inquires in confusion. "How in the world did you get splinters in your feet?"

"Let's just say I need a new bedroom door," Maggie replies, guiltily sinking down into the cushions of the couch.

"Well, I can't say as I blame you," Hodson muses. "I had told Manning that it would not be good for the twin's health to be separated from you long before this happened. Does the man listen to me? Nooooo. Has to go and do something stupid."

"He won't be doing it again anytime soon," Hellboy smugly assures her.

"Yes, I heard about your little 'chat' with Manning," Hodson responds with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Have you two ever had a conversation that didn't involve threats of bodily harm?"

"It's happened once or twice," Hellboy smirks.

With a sigh of exasperation, Hodson shakes her head and leaves the room.

"Think I'll go enjoy some fresh air before they stuff me in a crate like some sort of giant toy," Hellboy states to no one as he saunters out of the room.

"Going for a smoke is more like it," Maggie mumbles.

"How do your feet feel?" Abe asks.

"I don't know, they're numb," she grumbles.

"Good," he smiles just before he kisses the tip of her nose.

She just scowls at him as he moves away from her and then sits on the coffee table, taking the first foot into his lap. She tries hard not to squirm as he works, but eventually he has to grab her ankle, face the opposite way and pin foot under his arm against his body to hold it still. Within twenty minutes both feet are splinter free and wrapped in sterile bandages.

Abe scoops her up into his arms and carries her upstairs, Selma and Peg quietly following in their wake. He heads for her room but stops at the sight of Rupert sweeping up the remains of her door. Abe looks down at Maggie and does that oh so familiar head tilt that she loves.

"What?" she asks, feigning rightful indignation. "It was in my way."

He just chuckles and shakes his head as he walks past his father-in-law into the bedroom. He gently tucks her into bed, mindful of her feet. Selma and Peg come in after them, deposit the twins in their crib and then leave.

He sits on the edge of the bed and caresses her face with an ungloved hand. She captures his hand against her face with one of hers and leans her face into the caress, a look of pain and longing crossing her face. He knows it's an emotional pain that has her hurting and he feels the same even if he can't show it the way she can.

He leans over and gently kisses her. The kiss is long and slow and full of love and longing. They would stay that way forever if they could, but like all things, it must come to an end.

"Abe?" Selma softly calls from the door. "They're waiting for you."

"Thank you, Selma," Abe replies without turning around. "I'll be down in a minute."

Silent tears start to fall and he wipes them away with his thumb.

"Try and stay off your feet for a while," he instructs her. "Your feet need time to heal."

"Great, I'm back to being stuck in bed," she gripes.

"I don't know what's worse," he grumbles. "Having you stuck in bed and me not being able to see you or having you stuck in bed and not being here."

"Lecherous beast," she teases with a half smile.

"Wait until you get home," he sexily growls. "I'll show you how lecherous I can be."

A shiver of anticipation runs down her spine causing goose bumps to form and her nipples to harden. He chuckles evilly just before he gives her a quick kiss goodbye and then he leaves. As soon as he's out of sight, she curls up into a ball and starts to cry into her pillow.

* * *

When Abe finally reaches the foyer, the only people remaining are Rupert, Selma, Peg and Susan. Peg gives him a quick hug and tells him goodbye before stepping to the side to let the next person say goodbye. Susan is next also gives him a quick hug and as he's stepping past her, he gets a thwack on the shoulder. He turns to stare at the small white haired woman, nictitating membranes swiftly moving in surprise.

"Mind you language," she grumbles as she turns and heads for the kitchen.

"I guess you are now officially part of the family," Rupert says as he steps up to the still slightly dazed merman. "When my mother is willing to swat you for using bad language, it means you've been accepted into the fold. God help you."

"Thanks," Abe chuckles as he turns towards Rupert.

The men shake hands and the final person waiting is Selma. She hugs him, stands on her tip toes and kisses him on the cheek which causes him to turn a slightly darker shade of blue. She smiles at this as she holds onto his hands.

"Take care of yourself, Abe," she says. "Maggie will be there in a few days. And if she isn't, we'll ship her back to you in basket if we have to. Heaven knows she'll be a complete nut case by then anyways, so we might as well."

"Thank you," Abe smiles. "I'll do my best not to become too nutty myself."

With one last wave, Abe exits the house and crosses to his crate. With a heavy heart he climbs into the box which is quickly sealed behind him. A couple minutes later, the engine of the flatbed truck turns over and a moment later he can feel them starting to move. He's finally on his way home and he couldn't be more miserable.


	14. Apart

"**ABE!**" Hellboy shouts from his crate, startling Abe out of his reverie.

_Yes, Hellboy, what is it? _Abe asks silently, only partially aware of the swaying of the box he's in.

"Could you _please_ stop making that god awful noise?" Hellboy yells back.

_What noise?_ Abe questions, confused.

"That noise that sets my teeth on edge," Hellboy snarls back. "Could you just please stop it?"

_I'm sorry; I didn't realize I was making any sounds,_ Abe replies, still baffled.

"Didn't realize…?" Hellboy sputters in disbelief. "Are you telling me that you didn't notice that weird noise you were making?"

_No_, Abe answers, stunned.

"You've been making it since the truck started moving about half an hour ago," Hellboy snarls.

_How odd,_ Abe muses. _Why didn't you tell me sooner?_

"What do you mean, 'why didn't I tell you sooner'?" Hellboy demands loudly. "I've been shouting at you for the past half hour!"

_Oh dear,_ Abe responds, chagrinned. _My apologies._ _I'll try and keep any noises I make to a minimum. _

"Good," Hellboy grumbles settling down to reading his comic book.

The revelation that he's making a sound loud enough to bother Hellboy over the noise of the truck's diesel engine and the traffic of the surrounding roadway has him very confused. He spends some time trying to remember making this sound, but he can find no memory of it. After a few minutes pondering this, his mind wanders back Maggie and the twins, wondering what they're doing right now and missing them even more. He wonders when he'll feel the touch of his wife again.

"**_ABE!"_** comes Hellboy's frustrated scream.

_Oh dear, I was doing it again, wasn't I?_ Abe asks, apologetically.

"Yesss," Hellboy hisses through gritted teeth.

_Have I made this noise before?_ Abe asks. _Before today I mean._

"Yeah, when you came back from your honeymoon," Hellboy answers, still miffed. "You went on for nearly three days straight and you didn't stop until we went and dragged Maggie back to the bureau. To bad Liz destroyed all of the security tapes. Would have loved to have seen what happened after we dropped her off. And then you did it this morning just before you came downstairs."

_Remind me to thank Liz later,_ Abe replies, a little less than amused and a whole lot embarrassed over that memory. _Though that does explain why Guillermo said I was keening this morning. It is odd that I don't even hear myself making a noise that bothers you even above the noise of the traffic outside. _

"It's not so much hearing it, but feeling it as well," Hellboy responds. "I can feel it in my bones and it sets my teeth on edge."

_I do apologize, Red, I will try not to do it again,_ Abe assures his friend.

"Fine," Hellboy grumbles as he tries to settle back down to his book.

Abe thinks long and hard about what was going through his mind after his return from his honeymoon. He remembers the pain of being alone, knowing that Maggie wasn't willing to come back with him. He remembers the absolute despair of having a wife who was pregnant with his children and not being sure when he would get to touch her again. The need to feel her warms skin against his starts to fill him.

Before he totally drops into a blue funk, he feels a strange vibration resonating through his chest that starts to travel through his body. He lets the vibration continue until it reaches an audible level. As the vibration grows stronger, so does the sound.

"**ABE!" **Hellboy yells from the next crate.

_Sorry,_ Abe responds. _Curious. I've never noticed it before now. It starts out as a vibration and works itself into an actually audible sound. I'll have to investigate this further._

"You can investigate it until your scales fall off," Hellboy growls. "But just wait until you get home and we can lock you in a soundproof room."

_I understand,_ Abe chuckles. _Now that I'm aware of it, I should be able to stop myself before it before it becomes audible._

"You better," Hellboy snarls before falling silent.

Abe starts thinking of the things he's going to need to do once he gets home. By the time they're back on the cargo plane and in the air, Abe has his mental list organized and ready to go. He writes down the items that he'll need and gives it to John, requesting that the agent call ahead to get these items ready for the merman.

When that task is accomplished, the events of the last twenty-four hours finally catch up to him and he realizes how exhausted he is. With instructions not to be disturbed until just before landing unless it's an emergency or Maggie is calling, he strips down to his shorts and then slides into his tank. At the feeling of water that's the perfect salinity and temperature, something he hasn't experienced in several months, he immediately relaxes and within moments is sound asleep.

* * *

Maggie is propped up in bed reading with the twins nestled in on either side of her. She's clean and dressed and trying to ignore the empty feeling in her soul that she's had since she heard the truck with Abe pull out this morning.

With a sigh, she puts down the magazine she was reading. She's read the article about five times now and she still has no idea what it says. With him gone, she just can't concentrate and she contemplates taking another nap, but that idea just doesn't hold much appeal to her, besides, she's not really tired. She'd like to be able to do something to keep busy and try and take her mind off of him being gone, but she can barely walk to the bathroom as it is.

"Hey," Peg calls softly from the doorway. "Want some company?"

"I would love some company," Maggie smiles as Peg comes into the room and sits on the edge of the bed.

"We all know how you feel, Maggie," Peg assures her. "It's like a part of yourself is missing when he's gone."

"Yeah, I wish there was something I could do to get my mind off of him," Maggie replies sadly. "Instead I'm sitting here being bored out of my skull. I didn't like it when I was pregnant, but now it's really driving me buggy. So how's everything going downstairs?"

"Everything's fine," Peg smiles. "Your father is watching golf on TV. You should have seen your parents when they got a good look at the flat screen. They wanted to know where the rest of the TV was."

Maggie laughs at this, causing the twins to stir a little. But after a little squirming, they settle back down.

"Your mother is trying to figure out the laptop," Peg chuckles. "Unfortunately, she found the solitaire game and now we can't get her away from the thing. I'm dreading showing her the internet."

Before she can say anything, Maggie hears the front doorbell ring. She does a quick 'check' and a slight frown crosses her brow.

"Steven is here," Maggie announces. "I thought he was going back home to be there when Sean's wife goes into labor."

"Tracy isn't due for a few more days yet," Peg states. "I've noticed with the exception of you and me, every first baby is born exactly nine months after the wedding day."

"Another quirky little thing that Mages have to deal with," Maggie replies. "But at least it's better than the waiting a year and a day thing. And those dreams. I'd like to get my hands on the being that came up with that one. Just about drove Abe and me off the deep end."

"I know what you mean," Peg nods. "When Simon and I were apart, we just about went nuts. And when we saw each other again…well, let's just say we were really _happy_ to see on another."

"Abe and I had more of those reunions than I can count," Maggie grumbles. "And every time anything interesting started to happen, we'd get interrupted. I'm surprised I didn't die of embarrassment before the wedding."

"Yes, well, back in my day a proper young lady didn't even try that sort of thing before marriage," Peg points out. "To bad I wasn't a proper young lady or it would have made life so much easier."

Both of the women laugh at this as Steven sticks his head in the room.

"You two sound like you're having way too much fun up here," Steven teases from the doorway, a tool kit in hand.

"Hi, Steven," Maggie greets, still grinning. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard someone had a disagreement with her bedroom door this morning and I've come to install a new one," Steven answers.

"You drove over three hours to install a bedroom door?" Maggie asks incredulously.

"Yup," Steven replies. "So, should I get started or do you want me to wait?"

"You can go ahead and get started," Maggie answers. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, I heard about the feet, too" Steven responds. "Listen, you can tell me all about it after I get that door up here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

With that Steven puts the tool kit down, turns and leaves as Peg stands up.

"I should go get dinner started," Peg states. "I like Susan a lot, but I just don't trust her in the kitchen."

"Grandmother has always been very proud of the fact that she can't boil water," Maggie replies. "When I moved out on my own, I could barely manage that. As it is, Martha Stewart doesn't lie awake at night worrying about me taking over her job."

"Good thing you've got Abe to cook for you now," Peg smiles and instantly regrets it.

Maggie's shoulders slump and her eyes become bright with unshed tears as she turns to look out the window with the hope that she'll hear the sound of a large diesel engine pulling up the drive.

"I'm sorry, Maggie," Peg apologizes. "I shouldn't have said that. I'll go make dinner now."

A cold wave of sadness overcomes Maggie once more and the silent tears fall. Several minutes later she's finally able to pull herself back together. With a final sniff she turns away from the window and finds Steven starting to put in her new door.

"So, what do you want to know about this morning?" she asks, her nose still stuffed up after her latest bout of depression.

"Were you really going to kill Manning?" he questions, not looking up from unscrewing the old hinge from the door frame.

"Yes," she snarls. "The miserable lowlife was trying to steal my babies. I was going to kill him like the vermin he is."

"Bit extreme don't you think?" he inquires, never taking his eyes off of his work.

"This isn't the first time he's treated the twins like they were property," she growls. "You know that."

"I know," he quietly replies as he wrangles the new door into position. "The question is would you have been able to live with yourself after the anger faded? Granted he was trying to take your children and he definitely deserves a lifetime supply of hemorrhoids for it, but you know he wouldn't hurt them. In fact, your husband was going to be with them so you know they'd be looked after by someone who loves them."

"But I'm still nursing…," she starts to argue.

"Pretty poor reason to kill a man," he points out as he starts to screw the door to the frame.

"You didn't come up here just to install my door did you?" she softly asks about a minute later.

"No, I didn't," he answers. "I came up here because of Michael."

"Which Michael?" she inquires, remembering the three Michaels she's related to.

"You haven't met him," he replies as he finishes installing the door. "Michael is a cousin of mine or was. We're not sure which, but at this point we're thinking was."

"I don't understand," she states in obvious confusion.

"No, I guess you wouldn't," he responds sadly as he sits on the foot of her bed. "Many years ago, on a warm summer's night, not long after you were born, my cousin, Michael, got into a fight with another man. No one quite knows what the fight was about, but we do know one thing for sure, that night a man died. Witnesses say that the man pulled a knife on Michael just before he collapsed. The coroner's report says he died of a heart attack, but we know different. Michael came home after the fight, packed his things and drove away. His car was found several days later, abandoned on the side of the road. We never heard from him again. We've hired private investigators, posted rewards, put ads in newspapers, even done the TV route and still we have no clue to what happened to him. We may never know what became of him, but we do know this: killing that other man did something to Michael that made him give up everything and everyone he knew and loved. I don't want to see that happen to you too."

"Was he married?" she asks quietly.

"Fortunately and unfortunately, no," he answers and at her quizzical look, he continues. "It's fortunate that he didn't leave a wife and child behind to grieve and wonder with the rest of us. It's unfortunate that he wasn't married since she would know if he's dead or alive. The worst part is that we don't know, and we may never know, what happened to him."

They sit in silence for some time as she absorbs this bit of family history. She never once thought of the consequences of killing Manning. And while at the time she felt she was protecting her children, she now realizes how wrong killing him would have been.

"Now why all the long faces?" Susan asks as she walks in with a dinner tray for Maggie. "You'd think someone had died."

"Nearly," Maggie mumbles as she sits up in bed.

"Nearly?" Susan asks, raising an eyebrow.

"We were talking about this morning," Maggie explains.

"Ah, yes," Susan nods as she sets the tray down in front of Maggie. "Dr. Manning and his need to prove what a fool he is. Really, you would have thought the man had more than two brain cells to rub together."

"He does strike me as rather pompous," Steven chuckles as he pats Maggie's leg. "Well, my dear, I'll leave you to your dinner."

"Thanks, Steven," Maggie says while he stands. "For everything."

"You're welcome," he replies, looking at her solemnly.

After he leaves, Maggie starts to work on her dinner. Susan stays behind for a while, staring at her granddaughter.

"Why do I have a feeling that you two were talking about more than what happened this morning," Susan muses, a perfectly penciled eyebrow raised again.

"Steven was telling me a little Steele family history," Maggie responds after she swallows.

"I see," Susan replies, but questioning no further. "Do you want me to put the twins in the crib?"

"No, thank you," Maggie replies. "They'll probably wake soon to eat. They always seem to know when I'm eating."

"All babies are that way, child," Susan chuckles, heading for the door. "It's been that way since the dawn of time. I'll be back in a while. Holler if you need anything."

"I will," Maggie responds as she loads her fork up with more food. "Thank you, Grandmother."

"You're welcome," Susan calls back over her shoulder as she exits the room.

Maggie gets about half way through her dinner before Morgan wakes up. With a resigned sigh, Maggie puts her dinner off the side and then starts to feed her daughter. Just after Morgan has been changed and is being put to bed, Dylan wakes wanting his share. As he is getting fed, Peg walks in with the cordless phone in her hand.

"It's Abe," Peg tells Maggie.

Maggie's hand shoots out and all but rips the phone from her grandmother's hand. Peg just chuckles and leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

"Abe?" she queries, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hello, my love," he purrs.

"God, it's good to hear your voice," she practically sobs. "I've missed you."

"I only left this morning," he reminds her, chuckling.

"It feels like a lifetime ago," she replies sadly.

"Keeping busy could help you take your mind off of things," he replies.

"What am I supposed to do since I can barely walk right now?" she asks, wincing as Dylan pulls off without breaking suction first.

"Ah, yes, your feet," he responds. "It's best to stay off those for a while."

"That's what I've been doing," she gripes as she quickly changes Dylan's diaper on the bed.

"You could try reading," he suggests.

"Been there, done that, couldn't concentrate," she responds while changing Dylan into his pajamas.

"Perhaps working on your laptop," he proposes. "I know you have a lot of email you haven't responded to yet.

"Peg decided to show Mom how to use my computer and now she's hooked on solitaire," she states as she starts to struggle her way off of the bed with a sleeping baby in her arms. "I haven't seen my laptop all afternoon. I'm going to have to get myself a new one I suppose."

"How are your parents?" he asks.

"They're pretty worn out," she answers, trying not to whimper as she makes her way to the crib. "All the activities from yesterday wiped them out. It's really hard to see them like this."

"What do you mean?" he inquires.

"When I was nine, they could do anything," she replies as she settles her son next to his sister and then heads back to the bed. "They seemed to have endless energy and nothing could stop them when they put their minds to something. It was like they could take on the world and win. But now…now they're so different. They're obviously older and that I pretty much expected, but they're so frail. I'm afraid that if I sneeze in their general direction that they'll break. And they get tired so easy. Grandmother is in her seventies and she has more energy then the two of them combined. And quite frankly, Abe, it scares me."

"I don't know what to tell you, love. I don't even remember my parents. I don't know what it must be like for you," he responds sadly just before his voice drops into a sexy purr. "But the sooner you come home, the sooner I can find out."

"Letch," she giggles back at him. "I'll be home soon. I'm not sure how sane I'll be, but I'll be there soon. If I don't get out and do something soon I swear I'm going to pop."

"You'll be fine, my love," he assures her.

"Yeah, right," she grumbles as she starts picking at her cold dinner. "How would you know? You're mister calm, cool and collected."

"Not always," he tells her. "It seems I make a rather interesting sound when I'm missing you. Guillermo calls it keening, and Hellboy calls it…well, let's just say that your grandmother would need an extra large bar of soap for his mouth if she heard him."

"Is that so?" she chuckles as she makes herself more comfortable on the bed. "And what are you missing about me that you make this 'keening' sound."

"I think about your touch," he answers softly. "How it feels to make love to you and how I'm not sure I'll feel your warm body next to mine again."

A sound carries over the phone that causes a shiver to run down her back, goose bumps to form, her nipples to get hard and a powerful heat start to burn between her legs.

"Oh, god, Abe, please stop," she begs as she can feel her heart start to race.

"I'm sorry, love," he apologizes as the sound stops.

"Please don't do that again," she gasps while she tries to regain something that looks like composure.

"I know how annoying that must be for you," he replies.

"Do you now?" she pants.

"Yes, Hellboy said it sets his teeth on edge when I do that," he states. "Guillermo, John and Liz all find it rather upsetting as well."

"I'm sorry, I think I took a wrong turn in this conversation somewhere," she replies in confusion. "Are you saying that Hellboy and the others don't like that sound?"

"Of course," he responds. "Do you like the sound I just made?"

"Let me put it this way," she growls as she tries to calm her body down. "If you had made that sound standing next to me, we wouldn't be having this conversation since I'd be too busy stripping you and then jumping you."

"Very curious," he murmurs. "The others are bothered by the sound and you're aroused by it. Very curious indeed. I'll have to look into this further."

"I'm glad was able to give you something to do," she replies testily. "It's not like your all hot and bothered or anything."

"Honey, if you had any idea how aroused I am right now, your socks would catch on fire," he sexily growls back at her which doesn't help her situation.

Instead of the laugh he was going for all he hears is a whimpering moan coming through the line. It doesn't help that his shorts are unbearably tight at the moment and they seem to be getting smaller by the second. Knowing that he's sitting in the bureau's library and she's sitting in her room on the other side of the country isn't assisting his problem either. He looks around for something to change the subject when his eyes land on the stack of sex books that had ordered online and he gets an idea.

"Call me back later," he requests.

"Excuse me?" she whimpers.

"Call me back after everyone has gone to sleep," he says. "And call me at the house number, not the bureau's."

"Why?" she asks, sounding a bit more normal.

"It's a surprise," he teases. "Just do it, please."

"Ok," she replies uncertainly. "I'll call you if I'm still awake myself."

"I'll be waiting for your call," he reminds her. "Besides, I think the curiosity will keep you up long enough to call me."

"Ok, ok, I'll call," she grumbles. "You better make this worth my while."

"I will," he promises. "Trust me, my love, I most certainly will."

Still mystified by his request, she says her goodbyes to him and hangs up. Several hours later, the curiosity has kept her awake after everyone is sound asleep. After 'checking' that everyone's heart rates and breathing has slowed, she puts in the call.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Sorry this took so long. Life has been crazy with the holidays and my oldest turning 6 the other week. And with Christmas around the corner, just be glad you got this chapter when you did. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but it should be…interesting. 


	15. Late Night Caller

He lies on her bed waiting for her call. He glances at the clock, barely noticing that it's just after midnight. While he can barely smell her on the pillow, he can pick up the memories of her lying here. The essence of her being is imbued into the bedding and it makes his body hum with anticipation.

He's not used to lying down plus the waiting is nearly driving him out of his skull, so he gets up and starts to pace the room. When he passes the dresser, the powerful emotions attached to it nearly knock him off of his feet. He waves his hand over the wood before touching it and the memories almost send him to his knees.

She's upset beyond words. She's angry, hurt and heart broken because of his callous words. She runs her plans through her mind over and over again for fear of forgetting something. She's already left a note for the lady who cares for Magick asking her to care for Wizard along with a sizable advance for her services. After packing, she needs to go to her bank and get the keys to the house as well as getting enough cash to last her for a while. Then she'll drive to the airport followed by catching a cab to the train station. From there, she'll just have to see what they have available.

He quickly pulls his hand away, shaken about how well she organized she was despite her distress. He supposes that her anger is what kept her mind clear enough to get all of that done. The guilt from knowing that it was his fault that she left and it's his fault that she nearly lost the babies a couple of times makes him start to sink into despair.

Before he can become totally depressed, the phone rings. He jumps, startled by the sudden loud noise in the quiet house. He stares at the phone as it rings a second and then a third time, slowly crossing the room towards it. Just before the forth ring, he picks up the receiver. He slowly brings it up to his head and when it's finally in place, he doesn't say anything.

"Hello?" Maggie's uncertain voice comes over the line. "Abe?"

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"For what?" she asks, totally stumped.

"For what I said, what I did," he answers, sinking down onto the edge of the bed.

"Abe, you're going to have to be a little bit more specific than that," she complains. "It's late and I'm tired. Is that what you wanted to tell me? Because if it is, I can't say I'm really happy about staying up for it."

"No, this isn't why I asked you to call me," he replies quietly. "I got too close to your dresser and I got a brain load of emotions from when you left. It reminded me what I jerk I've been."

"Ok, one last time, I forgive you," she states obviously frustrated. "Now, are you going to tell me why you asked me to call you after everyone went to bed?"

He lies back on the bed, the smooth sheets sliding over his bare skin as he starts to softly keen. He can hear her gasp and then moan.

"Abe, please stop," she begs.

"No," he quietly answers. "What are you wearing?"

"My night shirt," she responds, frustration and need filling her voice. "Why?"

"Good," he purrs as he reaches down and starts stroking himself, the keen slowly getting louder. "I want you to touch yourself."

"You want me to touch myself where?" she whimpers, not sure which is going to explode first, her mind or her body.

"Touch yourself between your legs," he calmly tells her as he increases the keening. "Where I touched you this morning."

She stops breathing for a moment, her heart racing even faster than it had been. She's sure she heard him wrong. She must have. He can't possibly be suggesting _that!_

"You want me to touch myself where?" she squeaks, her body trembling with the need for release.

"Between your legs," he moans as he feels the blood rushing towards his manhood. "It's called your clitoris. Touch it. Rub it. Imagine that it's me touching you."

"I can't," she whimpers, her sanity quickly leaving her.

"Just pretend it's me," he reiterates with a groan, the keening getting louder. "Pretend it's me touching you, caressing you, holding you."

At this point, she's so horny that she has no choice but to comply. When she does touch herself, she lets out a loud moan as her fingers seem to develop a mind of their own and start massaging that sensitive bundle of nerves. She closes her eyes and rides the wave of feelings that come rushing over her.

"That's it love," he encourages as he starts to seriously pull on himself. "It's me touching you, kissing you, licking you, loving you."

"Oh, god, Abe," she pants. "I want you in me, making love to me. I need you so bad."

"Yesss," he hisses. "Want to feel your heat around me. Burning me so good."

"Oh, god," she gasps as the pressure that's been building up inside her finally explodes causing her back to arch off of the bed.

A heartbeat latter she hears him let out a primal growl as he finds his own release. Silence stretches on for several seconds as their heart rates begin to return to normal. She rolls onto her side and curls up into a ball.

"Did we just do what I think we did?" she whispers.

"We had phone sex," he chuckles as he grabs the towel off the nightstand and starts to clean himself up.

"I can't believe we just did that," she groans in shame, burying her face into her pillow.

"What's the mater?" he asks, perplexed. "Didn't you enjoy it?"

"Physically, yes," she ashamedly admits after coming up for air. "But psychologically…"

"I don't understand," he states in confusion. "I thought you would enjoy finding release from sexual frustration."

"A frustration, I would like to point out, that you caused," she huffs. "Abe, I grew up with a very prim and proper grandmother. People aren't supposed to touch themselves like that. Especially over the phone."

"Ah, I see," he replies. "Then you didn't enjoy it?"

"I didn't say that," she grumbles.

"Do you not want to do it again?" he inquires, she can practically hear his head tilt.

"I didn't say that either," she nearly growls.

"I love you, Maggie, and I don't want to cause you undue stress," he tells her.

"I know," she sadly moans. "God, I miss you so much."

"We haven't been apart even twenty-four hours," he points out. "How do you think we'll be doing by the time you get back?"

"I think we'll both be ready for the loony bin," she responds. "At least I will be."

"Now, while we can't do much about the psychological pressure of being apart, we can take care of the physical pressure," he replies.

"You want to do this again?" she asks, a little bit horrified and a lot turned on by the idea of it.

"Every night until you come home to me," he states mater-of-factually. "You will call me, won't you?"

His answer is something between a whimper and a groan and smile spreads across his lips. She can hear him chuckling from his end of the line and she scowls at the phone in her hand. After about a minute of silence, his patience wears out.

"Was that a yes?" he questions, adding a little bit of a keen to his sentence.

"Of course that was a yes, damn you," she snarls, as certain parts of her anatomy betray her. "Now stop keening. I'm tired."

"And cranky," he observes and she hears his smirk. "You're not normally this irritable after love making."

"But we didn't make love, now did we?" she counters.

"True," he concedes. "I'm sorry, love. Should I let you go to sleep now or do you want to go another round?"

"Sleep, please," she begs. "I'm wiped out and I don't think I can survive another round just now."

"Of course, my love," he replies. "Good night. I love you."

"Good night," she yawns. "I love you, too."

She hangs up the phone and shifts around in the bed until she's comfortable. In a matter of moments she's sound asleep, exhausted and physically satisfied.

He hangs up on his end, a satisfied smile across his lips. He gets up, redresses, tosses the dirty towel down the laundry chute and heads back to the bureau. As he's making his way up the stairs to his tank, Hellboy comes in.

"Where ya been?" Hellboy asks.

"I was talking to Maggie," Abe answers, continuing his assent.

"Really?" Hellboy questions. "Manning's been looking for you. He's a bit livid. Seems someone went through the security tunnel to Maggie's house. When Manning tried to go through the code had been changed."

"Had it now?" Abe asks nonchalantly.

"Hope you had a good chat," Hellboy states, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"It was very…satisfying," Abe replies just before he closes the door to his and Maggie's room.

"I bet it was," Hellboy snickers before turning and leaving the library.


	16. The Week

The next morning Maggie wakes to find a baby on either side of her. She vaguely recalls waking in the middle of the night and bringing Morgan to bed and repeating the process with Dylan half an hour later. She snuggles down with her little darlings and sighs contentedly.

Then the memory of last night's phone call resurfaces and she groans as she face heats up. She can't believe they did _that_ and the fact that she agreed to call him again tonight has her face turning an even brighter shade of red. With a moan, her eyes open and she knows she's not going to get back to sleep anytime soon with that memory bopping around in her head.

Very carefully she extracts herself from the bed, makes sure the babies aren't likely to roll off of the bed and then limps into the bathroom. Her feet don't hurt nearly as much as they did yesterday and she hopes she'll be able to make the trek downstairs, if for no other reason than to have a change of scenery.

She showers quickly, dries off, and puts fresh dressings on her feet before she gets her clothes on. Just as she's finishing up, Morgan wakes up and acts like she hasn't seen food in days. Maggie quickly changes Morgan's diaper and then sits down to feed her. Once she's sated, it's Dylan's turn and she repeats the process all over again. Just as he's getting near the end of his feeding, Peg sticks her head in the door.

"Good morning," the older woman greets. "How are you this morning?"

"Good morning," Maggie replies with a smile. "I'm doing well."

"Anything you need help with?" Peg asks.

"Would you change Morgan's diaper and put her in some day clothes, please?" Maggie requests.

"Sure, not a problem," Peg happily agrees as she comes all the way into the room and picks up her great-granddaughter. "I love dressing up little girls. Don't I, sweetheart?"

Peg walks away from the bed and continues the one sided conversation with Morgan who's loving it if the coos and giggles are any indication. Maggie can only smile as she watches this woman whom she's only known for a short time and realizes that she's come to care for a person who a couple months ago was a complete stranger she wanted nothing to do with. It's funny how life changes sometimes.

Peg finishes getting Morgan dressed just as Dylan is finishing his meal. She puts Morgan in Maggie's lap and then takes Dylan from his mother. While Dylan is being changed, Maggie plays with her daughter. After a rousing game of peek-a-boo, Peg helps Maggie bring the twins downstairs. Susan meets them at the foot of the stairs with a large manila envelope in her hands.

"This was just delivered by registered mail for you, Margaret," Susan states as she hands the item over.

"Oh good, I've been waiting for this," Maggie replies as she exchanges Morgan for the envelope with her grandmother. "I'm going to read this in the parlor if any one needs me."

Peg looks at Susan a bit perplexed and Susan just shrugs as Maggie hobbles away.

"It's from her lawyer," Susan explains as she heads off. "Probably a will and what not. But let's not worry about that now. She's letting us play with the babies again. I have no intention of wasting that opportunity especially since she'll be going home in a couple days."

"Right you are," Peg agrees with a nod as she heads for the family room. "I had serious baby withdrawal yesterday when she wouldn't let them out of her sight for more than a few moments. Though, after what happened yesterday morning, I can't say as I blame her."

Maggie spends most of the day in the parlor reading the papers and talking to her lawyer on the phone. The tedium of wading through all of the legal jargon is only broken up by meals, hers and the babies. By around four o'clock she finally comes staggering out of the parlor looking thoroughly exhausted.

"So, all of the legal bits taken care of?" Susan asks as she brings Morgan over to Maggie for another feeding.

"No, but I've gotten as far as I can today," Maggie answers as she takes her daughter and latches her on. "My lawyer's flying out tonight. She should be here by tomorrow morning with paperwork for me to sign."

"Why come all of the way out here just to have you sign a will?" Peg inquires from where she's rocking Dylan.

"It's not just the will," Maggie explains. "A lot of it has to do with Mom and Dad."

"What about us?" Rupert asks as he walks into the family room followed by Selma.

"I'm giving you back your money," Maggie replies. "But I'm trying to do it in a way that the IRS won't come knocking on our doors demanding more than their fair share."

"Our money?" Selma questions. "But honey, if you give us all the money, what will you have?"

"My money," Maggie responds. "While I did inherit everything when you two were proclaimed dead, I also have the money I inherited when Grandfather died. Plus the money that was invested has produced quite a sizable return over the years. My lawyer's coming tomorrow so we can discuss all of this. Let's worry about it then. I've been staring at my will all day. My brain hurts."

"I'll go make some tea," Selma offers as Maggie leans her head onto the back of the couch and closes her eyes. "That'll help."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Maggie replies without even cracking an eye open.

* * *

The rest of the evening passes without much more fuss and before she knows it, everyone's asleep except for her. She calls home to find that Abe's patiently waiting for her call. She's not sure if she's relieved or not until the keening starts and then nothing else matters but finding release from the quickly rising pressure.

When they're done, she lies there panting for a few moments. They talk for a while before saying their goodnights and hang up. She stares at the ceiling less than satisfied. While the physical need has been taken care of, talking to him over the phone just isn't the same as him being here and it sure as heck isn't as much fun to cuddle with a phone. It takes some time before she can relax enough to actually fall asleep and when she does, it's not long before she's woken for the next feeding.

* * *

Late the next morning finds Maggie's lawyer standing on the front door step. She's invited in and introduced to Maggie's parents just before they sit down and start talking about money. Nearly six hours later caused by several interruptions for nursing breaks, the paperwork is finished and Maggie staggers into the family room while Rupert and Selma drag themselves upstairs to take a nap.

Over dinner, Maggie fills Susan and Peg in on the details of what was worked out and the length of time it will take to finalize everything. It's complicated and lengthy, but in the end, everyone should be happy. Rupert and Selma are just thrilled that they're home with their family again and the money is secondary to what they have already regained.

It's been a long day and it doesn't help that Maggie didn't get a great night's sleep the previous evening, so she goes to bed early, hoping that the twins will wake her in time to call Abe. Instead, she ends up bringing them to bed with her and nursing them while she lies down. By the time Dylan is done, Maggie is sound asleep and the call time goes by as Abe lies in her bed on the other side of the continent wondering and worrying.

* * *

Maggie wakes up the next morning feeling fairly rested despite the interruptions in sleep caused by the babies. She stretches with the nagging feeling like she's forgotten something. Then she sees the phone sitting on her nightstand and her heart all but stops.

She grabs the device and quickly calls home but ends up only listening to her own voice as the answering machine picks up. Then she calls the bureau and after five minutes of transfers and holds, she finally gets through to the library.

"Hola," Guillermo greets when he picks up the phone.

"Hola, tio," Maggie responds. "Is Abe there?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," Guillermo teases. "And how are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she grumbles. "Please, Uncle, is Abe there?"

"Oh, he's around someplace," he replies nonchalantly. "So, how are your parents?"

"They're doing ok," she answers. "Please, Uncle, where's Abe?"

"Moping about, probably," he responds. "He's been cranky all morning. You wouldn't know why, would you?"

"I didn't call last night," she replies.

"Ah, yes, the late night calls up at the house," he chuckles. "So what _are_ you two discussing at that late hour?"

"That is between myself and Maggie," Abe growls from behind the librarian.

"Well, speak of the blue devil," Guillermo snickers as he spins his chair around and faces a less than pleased merman. "Look who crawled out of his hole."

"Guillermo Chavez you hand over that phone right now or so help me you'll be changing diapers for a week when I get home," Maggie threatens.

"Ok, ok, jeez, you're both a couple a grouches today," Guillermo laughs just before he hands over the phone.

"Thank you," Abe says begrudgingly.

Abe waits until Guillermo gets up and leaves the area before claiming the vacated seat and he brings the hand set up to his face.

"Maggie?" he asks worriedly.

"I'm sorry, love," she apologizes. "I was so tired last night that I ended up going to bed early. I had hoped to that when the twins woke for their feeding I would wake up, but I guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

"I was worried that something had happened," he admits. "I was scared. I don't like being scared. Please come home."

"I'll be home soon," she assures him. "A few more days at best. I want to make sure Mom and Dad have everything they need before I head back."

"They're not coming back with you, are they?" he asks, a sudden thought causing him more worry.

"No, they're staying here," she tells him as Morgan starts to wake up. "That's why I want to make sure they have everything they need."

"What do they need?" he questions, now curious.

"Well, I've now set up a bank account with debit cards for them so they'll have money," she starts while she sits up and starts to change Morgan's diaper. "They need a whole new wardrobe since Sharon had to do a lot of guessing about sizes in Hawaii and while shorts are great for the tropics, they're not so great at this time of year in Northern California. They're going to need a car, but they need to have a refresher course in driving first and that's after they get their driving permits. Peg will probably leave today or tomorrow, so that's going to leave us without a car since Manning took the rentals with him. Grandmother is having her chauffeur drive the limo all the way from Atlanta and he'll be here until she goes home, but he probably won't get here until tomorrow night. Peg has been looking for a doctor for them since they could have some serious health issues after being out there for so long. Grandmother is looking at getting them at least a maid and a gardener and maybe a cook, but she's waiting until I leave since we don't want to chance anyone seeing the twins. On the plus side, we've gotten them their social security numbers reinstated."

"How long does your grandmother plan on staying out there?" he asks when she finally stops to breathe.

"Probably until they kick her out," she chuckles as she relaxes into nursing Morgan.

"I missed you last night," he quietly states out of the blue.

"I'm sorry," she repeats sadly.

"I love our little 'talks'," he adds.

He softly starts to keen and she whimpers in response. Before she can beg him to stop, she hears a 'thwap' over the line and the keening discontinues with a muttered expletive. Abe rubs the sore spot on the back of his head and looks down at the bundle of papers that assaulted him.

"NO KEENING!" Guillermo shouts from where he's working half way across the library. "You do that again and I'll find something bigger to throw at you!"

"Sorry," Abe grumbles as his wife snickers from the other side of the country.

"Remind me to thank Uncle when I get home," she chuckles.

"He hit me!" he replies indignantly.

"And you were trying to get me worked up while I was nursing your daughter," she growls back.

"Sorry," he says contritely. "I really do miss you."

"And I you, my love," she sighs. "I certainly hope you haven't been pining away in your tank all this time."

"I've been keeping busy," he responds slyly.

"Doing what?" she asks.

"I'll show you when you get home," he answers secretively.

"You're not going to tell your wife what you've been up to?" she inquires, a bit perturbed.

"Nope," he snickers. "I want to give you incentive to come home."

"Like you weren't incentive enough?" she reminds him.

"Well, there's that too," he concedes and she can practically hear him smiling.

There's a soft knock at the door just before Susan sticks her head into the room.

"Who in the world are you talking to at this hour of the morning, child?" Susan asks, still dressed in her house coat.

"Abe," Maggie answers

"Yes?" Abe responds, a bit confused.

"I understand," Susan nods with a knowing smile and then disappears back through the door.

"Grandmother just wanted to know who I was talking to at this hour," Maggie replies.

"I see," he states. "I should let you go get breakfast."

"I'm not going anywhere for a while," she says. "I haven't finished feeding Morgan and Dylan hasn't woken up yet."

"You're not feeding them at the same time?" he asks.

"When I gave that extra feeding to Dylan Monday morning, it off set their feeding pattern," she answers. "On the plus side, it's a lot easier to feed them at night since I don't need help. On the down side, it takes longer to feed them now."

"How well are you sleeping?" he questions in concern.

"I'm doing ok," she yawns. "I've figured out how to feed them while lying down. I wouldn't be able to do that if they were still eating at the same time."

"I think I should let you get back to sleep," he suggests.

"No, I'm fine," she mutters as her eyelids start to droop.

"Sure you are," he gently teases. "Call me tonight?"

"Mmhmm," she agrees.

"Good, I'll talk to you tonight," he replies. "'Bye."

"'Bye," she mumbles just before hanging up.

She drifts off to a light doze as Morgan happily slurps away.

* * *

The rest of the day passes rather unremarkably for Peg and Susan as they take Rupert and Selma off to go clothes shopping. On the way back they visit a few dealerships and take a look at some cars to get an idea of what Selma and Rupert might like. Then they stop and pick up dinner on the way home.

When they get there they find a rather worn out Maggie waiting for them. She stands in the entryway when they walk in, a baby in each arm and looking like she's about to collapse. Her hair is a mess, there are various stains on her untucked shirt and wrinkled pants and the twins are only wearing onezies at this point, the nice clothes they had been wearing earlier long gone.

"Oh, thank heavens," Maggie sighs in relief when she sees the Chinese takeout containers. "I was going to try to make spaghetti, but I barely even managed to go to the bathroom by myself today. I'm glad I at least got a shower in before you guys took off. I swear if they weren't eating they wanted to be held if they weren't being held they were crying and they barely slept. I don't know what's gotten into them."

The three older women look at each other and smile, but hold their tongues. Selma and Peg take the twins from the exhausted new mother who immediately heads for the bathroom. By the time she joins them in the dinning room, the others have already sat down to eat and Maggie looks a little better with her face washed and her hair combed out.

They sit down to dinner and Rupert talks about the cars they looked at after Selma discusses at length what passes for fashion these days. Maggie just happily eats now that she's allowed to eat more than two bites in a row.

"Good heavens, child," Susan admonishes the younger woman. "Slow down and chew your food. You're going to choke if you keep that up."

"I'm sorry," Maggie says after swallowing her latest mouthful. "It's just that this is the first meal I've had since breakfast. It took me over three hours just to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich this afternoon."

"Twins can be a challenge," Peg points out with a smile. "But they are also a blessing."

Before anymore can be discussed on the joys of motherhood and twins the phone rings. Peg gets up and answers it with a knowing smile playing across her lips. She talks on the phone for a few minutes and then returns to the table.

"That was Sean," Peg announces. "He and Tracy are on their way to the hospital."

"Do you have everything packed?" Maggie asks, suddenly realizing that she's going to miss her maternal grandmother.

"I packed after I got dressed this morning," Peg answers. "I will miss you, Maggie. I know you'll be gone before I get back. But I'll come out and visit as often as I can, so I won't miss too much of those wonderful babies of yours growing up."

"I'll go get your bags," Rupert offers as he stands.

"No, Rupert," Peg declines with a raised hand. "I can get them myself. I know how tired you are after all you've done today. Besides, the exercise will do me good."

With that, Peg leaves the room and the others follow. Despite her protests, Maggie follows her grandmother upstairs and helps her with her bags. Tearful goodbyes are exchanged and Peg swears to call as soon as the baby is born just before she drives off.

The others head back inside and back to their dinner, but none of them feel like eating now. The remains of their supper are put away as Maggie takes the twins upstairs to bed. After feeding the twins and getting them put to in their crib, she spends some time looking up the cars that her parents had looked at on the internet.

When she hears her parents passing her room, she calls them in and they spend some time going over the cars together. Nothing gets decided right then, since Rupert and Selma need to go in and get their driver's permits still and their appointment isn't until the next day. After that they'll need driving lessons that Maggie has already looked into and has narrowed it down to a couple driving schools.

When that's done they sit and talk for a while. Peg's departure has driven home the fact that soon Maggie will leave as well and it's a thought that saddens them all. When Morgan wakes for her late night feeding, Selma and Rupert say their goodnights and head for bed.

Once the twins are changed, fed and put back to bed, Maggie changes for bed and then does a quick 'check', determining that once more she's the only one awake in the house. With a shaking hand and a rapidly beating heart, she dials her number. Before the first ring is over, Abe picks up the phone, eagerly waiting for his wife's call.

They barely manage to pass pleasantries before he starts keening again. With a whimper and a moan she lets him talk her into finding completion, her panting and barely contained groans are all that he needs to help him find his own release.

After they've both calmed down enough to talk sensibly, Maggie tells him about her day. How the twins were such a hand full, about her parent's shopping trip and Peg leaving to meet Sean and Tracy at a hospital in San Francisco. He listens quietly, making appropriate noises where necessary, but other than that, keeping his mouth shut. When he can hear the tiredness in her voice, he wishes her a goodnight and hangs up the phone, knowing that very soon he'll be holding her and not the phone.

* * *

Shortly before the four am feeding, the phone rings. Maggie groggily answers it at about the same time her mother does. They wake a bit more when they realize it's Peg on the other end of the line to announce that Tracy had a healthy baby boy and she managed to give birth without drugs. Maggie thinks that either Tracy is nuts or the bravest woman in the world, but is too tired to say anything. After getting all of the vital information, they say their goodbyes and hang up the phone. No sooner does Maggie start to drift off to sleep again than Morgan decides it's time to eat.

* * *

At breakfast the early morning call is announced to the two people who managed to sleep through it, which is pretty odd considering Air Mages have such sensitive hearing. The telling of the drug free birth gets a 'tsk' of disapproval from Susan while Rupert and Selma share a secretive smile. Maggie's too tired to even notice much of anything beyond her breakfast cereal.

Well after breakfast, a taxi arrives to take Selma and Rupert to the DMV so that they can get their driver's permits while Peg stays behind to help with the twins. A few hours later the front doorbell rings and Maggie gets up to get it. She opens the door and is suddenly staring at a powerful chest wearing a white pilot's uniform. She cranes her neck to up into a pair of amused crystal blue eyes.

"You're early," she bluntly states.

"Good to see you too, Maggie," he chuckles. "I can go away if you like."

"No, I'm sorry, please come in, Ron," she ashamedly replies as she steps back.

More than six feet of broad shouldered man steps into the house with an overnight bag looped over one of those shoulders and Maggie closes the door behind him a second later.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow morning," she explains as he turns to face her. "What happened?"

"The business men I flew out to Japan had their deal fall through so they decided to come back early," he answers with a shrug. "I'm wiped out. Is there some place I can crash?"

"Yeah, go ahead and take the room you and Sharon were using," she replies as she heads for the staircase. "I'll get you some sheets for the bed."

"Ok, thanks," he yawns as he follows her upstairs.

"I'm afraid the sheets are going to have to wait, Margaret," Susan calls from the bottom of the stairs, holding a fussy Morgan. "You have a prior commitment."

With a resigned sigh, Maggie points Ron in the direction of the linen closet and heads back down the stairs. By the time she's done feeding both of her children, Ron's snores can be faintly heard downstairs and Rupert and Selma return, each loaded down with several bags. They both have silly grins on their faces like a couple of kids that have been let loose in their favorite toy store with the freedom to buy whatever their little hearts desire.

"Now, if you two don't look like the cat that ate the cannery," Susan comments when they come in.

"After passing our written exams with flying colors we decided to take a little tour of San Francisco by ourselves," Selma proudly claims as she places her purchases on the coffee table.

"Oh, dear, if you wanted to see San Francisco you should have waited until Kirk got here," Susan admonishes. "You shouldn't have gone by yourselves."

"No offense, Mother, but that's exactly the reason why we went today," Rupert tells the older woman as he lays his bags on the couch. "Ever since we were found, people have been acting like we're going to break with the next breeze. We survived on that island for well over twenty years; a day in San Francisco isn't going to kill us."

"You're right," Maggie admits as she places Dylan in the bassinette next to his sister. "It's just that you've both changed so much and you were in that hospital for so long, that we're all worried."

"And you should talk about changes, young lady," Rupert chuckles as he comes over to look at his grandchildren. "You went and grew up, got married and had children while our backs were turned. Very discourteous if you ask me."

"Oh, Daddy," she laughs as she wraps her arms around his thin middle.

He gladly returns his daughter's embrace as Selma starts to sort through the bags.

"The hospital stay was a precautionary measure to make sure that we didn't have anything," Selma says as she continues her rummaging. "They especially wanted to make sure we didn't have anything contagious. Ah ha!"

"Ah ha?" Maggie inquires, pulling away from her father enough to look at her mother.

"When we were on Pier 39 we realized that we had completely forgotten your birthday," Selma replies.

"I got you two back, I don't want anything else," Maggie reminds them.

"We know, but we couldn't resist," Selma smiles as she pulls a box out of a bag.

Curious, Maggie takes the cardboard cube that's less then six inches on each side. She opens the box and pulls the tissue out of the way and stares. The thing looking back at her nearly defies description. A blue-green fish with big red lips and huge false eyelashes that's standing on legs that a Rockette would kill for which are clad in fishnet stockings and shod in spiked red heels and wearing a flapper's dress from the 1920's stares up at her from the box.

Maggie looks first at her mother and then her father, both of whom are desperately trying not to laugh and failing miserably. Maggie purses her lips, mockingly glaring at them and that's enough to send them over the edge. Within moments they have to sit down as they hold their sides with laughter.

"Oh, good heavens, what did they give you, child?" Susan demands as she stands, crosses the room and takes the box from Maggie. "Great merciful heavens, what is that thing?"

At this point, even Maggie can't hold it in and bursts out laughing. Her parents are now laughing so hard that tears are streaming down their faces. Susan takes the thing out of the box to view the full horror of this thing before she places it on an end table.

"Better you than me," is the kindest thing Susan can think to say before she leaves the room.

When Selma is finally able to talk almost normally again, she picks up the box again and hands it back to Maggie.

"You missed the rest of your present," she sniggers.

"Please tell me this thing didn't spawn and have babies," Maggie gasps as she takes the proffered item.

"Just look," Rupert tells her, still chuckling.

Maggie looks back in the box and finds a small black box hidden in the tissue on the bottom. She takes it out, removes the lid and then gasps. She pulls out the delicate gold chain from the box as her parents come over to her. Hanging from the chain is a pair of intertwined gold hearts and inside each heart is a small stone.

"It's beautiful," Maggie whispers as her father takes it from her.

"It originally had diamonds for the stones, but we talked the jeweler into replacing them," he tells her as he undoes the clasp and puts the necklace around his daughter's neck. "A sapphire for Dylan and an emerald for Morgan."

Maggie delicately traces the outlines of the hearts as they lay on her chest.

"It's beautiful," Maggie repeats as she hugs her parents. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it," Selma smiles as she sits back on the couch. "So, when did Ron get here?"

"About and hour before you two came home," Maggie answers as she also gets comfortable.

"When are you leaving?" Rupert asks, trying to hide the pain.

"Whenever he can take me back," Maggie sadly replies. "I don't want to go but at the same time I can't stay either. Does that make any sense?"

"Actually, it does, dear," Selma answers as she takes her daughter's hands in hers. "Go home to him. You both need each other and that's how it should be. We'll be out to visit when we can."

"I'll miss you both," Maggie whispers as a tear falls down her cheek and she hugs her mother. "I better start packing before the twins wake up or I'll never get out of here."

Before the water works can really let loose, Maggie quickly leaves the room and heads upstairs. Rupert and Selma sit in silence for several minutes before Selma starts to half heartedly go through their purchases and Rupert stares numbly at the bassinette.

Off in the distance they hear the doorbell ring and someone answering the door. Voices are heard for a few moments and then the door closes. A second later the sound of a couple pairs of feet reaches the depressed couple and a moment later Susan enters the room with a man wearing a chauffeur's uniform causing Rupert to automatically stand.

"Rupert, Selma, I would like to introduce you to my chauffeur, Kirk," Susan says before she turns towards the tall man that towers over her. "Kirk, this is my son and his wife, Rupert and Selma Cavendish."

"How do you do," Rupert greets as he crosses the room with his hand out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Kirk responds as he shakes Rupert's hand.

"Not to appear rude, Kirk, but how tall are you?" Rupert asks, getting a kink in his neck just looking up at the other man.

"I'm 6'9"," the dark skinned man chuckles. "And to head off the next question, I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time, so dribbling a basket ball and throwing it through a net is out of the question."

"So why become a chauffeur?" Selma asks.

"I like to drive big fancy cars," Kirk answers with a grin, his white teeth nearly blinding them.

"Fair enough," Rupert laughs. "Welcome to our home. I'll show you to your room."

"Kirk, Margaret is going to need a ride to the airport either this evening or tomorrow morning, please be ready to go when she is," Susan instructs her employee.

"Yes, Mrs. Cavendish," Kirk agrees. "Will there be time for me to get some rest first?"

"Of course," Susan answers. "That band saw that's going on upstairs is the pilot, so I think it may be a while before you'll need to be ready."

"Yes, ma'am," Kirk nods and then follows Rupert upstairs.

* * *

Several hours later, Ron has scheduled his flight plan, Maggie has packed the items she's taking home with her which includes the god awful fish thing from her parents and the bags are waiting at the foot of the stairs. The things that Maggie isn't taking home, maternity clothes for the most part, has been boxed to be donated. Dinner is a subdued affair and what laughter there is seems forced, though Ron, Kirk and Rupert do have a rather animated discussion about cars going for most of the meal. After the dishes are cleared, washed and put away, they sit and talk for a while in the family room. They don't talk about anything important, but they're not quite ready to say goodbye.

"Ms Cavendish?" Kirk calls from the doorway.

"Yes, Kirk, what is it?" Maggie asks.

"I've put your luggage in the trunk and the car seats are now in the car," Kirk answers.

"Oh, thank you, Kirk," she replies, trying not to sound disappointed.

"It's 9:00, Maggie," Ron points out. "We should get going."

"You're right," she sighs as she stands up and heads for the door.

Her parents follow with the bundled up twins in their arms and Kirk leads the way out the front door. He opens the back door to the limo and watches quietly as the children are passed one at a time to their mother who puts them in their seats. If he notices their odd coloring, he makes no comment and gives no sign that he's even noticed.

Once the twins are strapped in, Maggie climbs back out and says her tearful goodbyes to her parents and grandmother. Ron eventually has to pull her back to the limo before she gets in for good. She watches and waves out the window from her spot between the twins until the limo makes the turn in the driveway and the others disappear from sight.

"The pre-flight check will take a while once we get there," Ron tells her, trying to get her mind off of the family she's just left behind. "I suggest that you feed the twins while I'm taking care of that. If they're anything like Vicki they'll sleep through most of the flight once we get moving. There's a couch on the plane the pulls out into a bed so you can get some sleep too."

"What about you?" she asks.

"I'll be fine," he assures her. "I've got a book to read and some crossword puzzles. I'm still a bit on Japan time and it's early afternoon over there right now. Besides, I took that nap, so I'm good."

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" she inquires. "It's six hours."

"God, you're like your cousin," he laughs. "I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself."

Maggie simply bites her tongue at the 'big boy' comment and checks on the twins. They're both sound asleep and she can't help staring at them in wonder. To her, they're the most beautiful babies in the world and none can hope to come close to their cuteness. With a happy sigh, she caresses a soft downy head.

"Uh oh, I know that sigh," Ron says worriedly.

"What sigh would that be?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.

"That's the sigh that says, 'I want more babies and I want them now,'" he replies with a smirk.

"So says the man who's fathered two children," she retorts.

"How did you know?" he demands. "Sharon hasn't even told her mother yet."

"Her bathroom was next to mine," she answers with a knowing smile. "Morning sickness is many things. Quiet isn't one of them."

"I swear your family could hear a ghost tip toe through a room," he mutters disgustedly.

"So, you hoping for a boy this time?" she asks.

"A boy would be nice, but I just want a healthy baby," he answers.

"Liar," she snorts.

"Ok, so sue me, I really want a boy," he huffs. "What man doesn't? But I'm not lying about the healthy part."

"That's all any parent could wish for," she replies as she looks back at her two.

"So, you and Abe going to try for any more?" he asks.

"We're not trying to stop any more from coming," she responds. "Though I'm not sure what I'd do if I did get pregnant again."

"You might want to try some sort of birth control or you might get them way to close together in age," he points out trying not to laugh. "And who knows, maybe next time you'll have a whole school of guppies."

Her only response is to throw a soft toy at him from across the car. He laughs as they make their way towards the airport. A short time later, Ron is giving Kirk directions to the small craft terminal and before she knows it, they're at their destination.

Ron and Maggie get the twins into the plane as Kirk unloads the trunk. Ron gets Maggie and the twins settled in before going out and helping Kirk store the luggage. While Ron is off dealing with the paper work, Morgan wakes with a big yawn. Maggie settles down with her and starts nursing her daughter.

Ron comes back a short time later and with no more than a glance at his passengers, he steps into the cockpit. She can hear him flipping switches and pushing buttons. Just as she's finishing feeding Dylan he comes back out.

"We're ready to go when you are," he announces.

"Dylan should be done in a few minutes," she replies.

"Ok, I'll just do one final check outside and then I'll get clearance from the tower," he states.

"Sounds good," she says without ever looking up from staring at her son.

Ron just chuckles quietly and steps out of the plane. A while later he returns to find Maggie putting Dylan back in his seat.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she answers as she retakes her seat and straps herself in.

"Good," he nods. "I'll come out and adjust the couch so you can lie down when we get to cruising altitude."

"Ok, thanks," she smiles sleepily.

"By the way, turn off your cell phone, please," he requests.

"Oh, sure," she agrees as she grabs her purse and then proceeds to do as asked.

"And if the kids start getting fussy while we're climbing, give them a pacifier to suck on," he instructs. "It'll help equalize the pressure in their ears."

"Ok," she nods.

He returns to the cockpit, shutting the door behind him. A short time later the engines turn over and about a minute later she can feel and see that they're starting to move. A short eternity later they're at the end of the runway with clearance to take off. The engines power up and suddenly she's pushed back into her seat.

There's not much to watch outside, but she stares out the window anyways. A thin fog covers the bay and they pass through it without any trouble as Ron banks the plane until he's got them on course and a short time later they're at cruising altitude.

Ron emerges from the cockpit and goes over to the couch. He presses a large button on the front and seat pulls out as the back lies flat to make a reasonably sized bed. Then he pulls a couple pillows and blankets out of a cupboard and puts them on the end of the bed.

"I'll leave the door to the cockpit ajar in case you need anything," he tells her as he lowers the lights in the cabin. "Please have a seatbelt on when you're lying down in case we hit some turbulence."

"Thanks, Ron, I will," she replies as she gets up.

She grabs the overnight bag she brought on board with her and heads for the lavatory. A while later she comes out wearing sweat pants, a t-shirt and a pair of warm socks. She quickly settles down and gets comfortable despite the seatbelt around her middle.

Just as she's drifting off to sleep she realizes that she forgot to call Abe to let him know that she was coming home. She groans and buries her face in the pillow in despair. But even as upset with herself as she is, the exhaustion of a long day combined with the gentle vibration of the plane soon has her sound asleep.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Sorry for taking so long with this update. I've been working on another story on a different forum combined with the holidays and coming down with the flu, I've been very busy. But I did make this chapter extra long, so hopefully I'm forgiven. 


	17. Homecoming

"Maggie?" a deep voice softly calls.

Maggie just moans and tries to disappear under her blanket.

"Maggie, Morgan's awake and we'll be landing in about an hour," Ron tells her.

Maggie spends several seconds trying to process this information through her sleep fogged brain. With a sigh and a groan, she finally acknowledges what Ron's said.

"Thanks, Ron," she yawns as she props herself up on an elbow.

She can barely hear Morgan's whimpering over the drone of the plane's engines. With a tired sigh, she throws back the blankets and heaves herself upwards. After nearly cutting herself in two, she undoes the seatbelt and then gets up to attend to her daughter's needs. By the time the twins are both taken care of and she's gotten changed back into presentable clothing, Ron sticks his head back out of the cockpit.

"We're going to be landing shortly," he says.

"Thanks, Ron," she replies as she takes her seat and straps herself in.

A short time later she can feel the cabin pressure changing as her ears pop when she lets out another yawn. It doesn't take long for them to touch down and taxi towards the terminal. After they come to a stop and she can hear the engines powering down, she starts to undo the seatbelts holding down the twins' car seats.

Ron emerges from the cockpit and opens the hatch. He talks briefly with the ground crew before coming over to help Maggie with the twins. After draping a blanket over each of the baby carriers so that no one can see the kids, they exit the plane and blink into the early morning sun.

As they wait just outside the plane as one of the flight crew unloads Maggie and Ron's luggage onto a cart, Maggie digs around in her purse for her sunglasses. Once they're done, one of the crew pushes the cart over to them and Ron starts pushing the cart towards the parking lot, baby carrier still in hand. Maggie just trudges along behind him, too tired to care where they're going as she shifts her carrier from one hand to the next.

Several minutes later, they finally reach a SUV that's waiting for them with Sharon behind the wheel. Sharon hops out and quickly comes around the vehicle with her arms open. Ron puts the carrier down and makes sure the cart isn't going to roll anywhere before giving his wife a kiss hello that quite possibly includes the checking for tonsils.

Maggie attempts to ignore them by trying to get the carrier she's carrying into the back seat of the SUV only to find that she's too short to get the thing up there. With a quiet chuckle, Sharon takes pity on her and climbs into the back of the vehicle before taking the first carrier from her cousin. While the two women get the car seats situated, Ron loads the luggage into the back and then returns the cart to where it belongs.

By the time he gets back, the car seats are in and Maggie is sandwiched between the two of them while Sharon has settled into the driver's seat. Ron stops and narrows his eyes at his wife while she just gives him a big grin.

"My car," he snarls at her through the open driver's window.

"But, sweetie, you just flew in from California," she replies in her sweetest voice. "You must be all worn out after that long flight."

"Will someone please just drive this thing?" Maggie growls without looking up from where she has her head on the back of the seat. "I got all of four hours of sleep or so and I still need to get home."

"See?" Sharon continues in that sugary sweet voice. "Maggie needs to get home and here we are keeping her from her bed."

"Then move over," he orders.

He opens the driver's door and starts crowding his wife out of her seat. A brief, but loud struggle ensues that includes many giggles and playful shrieks coming from Sharon as Ron bulldogs his way into the driver's seat. Maggie doesn't even look up as she nails each of them with a baby toy going on 'feel' alone.

"Save the wrestling match for when you get home," Maggie grumbles. "Just get me to my car so I can go home."

Ron leers at his wife who's looking worriedly at her cousin. One look at Sharon's face and Ron knows their wrestling match is going to have to wait. Sharon turns her gaze to her husband who sighs and reluctantly nods. She smiles at him and gives him a quick kiss before moving over to the passenger seat.

He slides into the driver's seat, hits the button that automatically adjusts the seat for him, straps in and then turns the engine over. By the time they get to the interstate, Maggie is sound asleep and snoring away in the back seat. Luckily it's a Saturday so traffic isn't too bad and they get Maggie home in about an hour. Well, at least most of the way home.

"What's the code?" Ron asks Sharon.

"How should I know?" Sharon asks back as she reaches over and shakes Maggie's knee. "Maggie, honey, you need to wake up."

"Where are we?" Maggie inquires groggily.

"We brought you home," Sharon quietly answers. "What's the code to get the gate to open?"

"7873," Maggie automatically responds and then lets out a huge yawn.

Ron rolls down the window and punches in the code. The gate swings open almost noiselessly and Ron puts the SUV into gear. They drive up the driveway, around the red oak and stop in front of the steps. A tall thin man holding a baby steps out the front door and looks quizzically at them. It takes Maggie several seconds to realize what's wrong with this picture.

"Umm…Maggie?" Sharon questions as she looks back at the other woman.

"Oops," Maggie chuckles.

"Maggie? Is that you?" the man on the porch calls.

"Hi, Doug," Maggie greets after rolling down her window. "Ron and Sharon were driving me home and I guess they forgot I moved."

"Oops," Sharon echoes, turning a lovely shade of pink. "Sorry."

"Hey, that's ok," Doug assures her. "I'm just glad you're alright. We got a bunch of calls a few months back asking if we'd seen you. You had us worried, little missy."

"I'm sorry, Doug," Maggie replies. "I didn't realize that you and Helen were going to be bothered because I left."

"Care to tell me what happened?" he asks as he comes down the steps, shifting the baby in his arms.

"Not right now," Maggie answers. "I see you guys had your baby. What did you have?"

"We have another boy," the proud papa grins as he shifts the baby so Maggie can see him. "His name is Brian."

"He's beautiful," she says. "I love the name."

"So did you have a boy or a girl?" he asks as he steps closer to the car to peek in the window better.

"Yes," she grins back.

"Yes?" he questions, his eyebrows threatening to become one with his hairline.

"This is Dylan," she tells him as she pulls back the blanket.

"He looks like his daddy," he states, completely nonplussed by the blue tint or the stripes.

"And this is Morgan," she continues as she pulls back the other blanket.

"Why's that one green?" he asks, standing on tiptoe to get a better look.

"We think it's because she's a girl," she answers. "Where's Helen?"

"She's giving the animals their breakfast," he replies as he stands flat again. "She should be back up in a minute. Do you want to come in?"

"I'd love to, but I have a feeling Sharon and Ron want to get home soon," she sadly declines.

"Got that right," Ron grumbles from where he's slouched in his seat.

At that precise moment, Helen comes up the path from the ranch. She looks quizzically at the SUV parked in front of her home until she sees Maggie waving at her and then a big smile lights her face. She races around to the same side as Doug and reaches inside the vehicle to grab Maggie's outstretched hand.

"You're back and you're alright," Helen exclaims. "We were so worried about you. And you had the baby…babies?"

"Morgan and Dylan," Maggie informs Helen, pointing to each child in turn.

"How cute," Helen coos. "And so colorful. At least it'll be easy to tell them apart."

"I'm sorry to have worried you," Maggie states remorsefully.

"Well, I'm just glad you're alright," Helen replies. "I love your hair cut. It looks cute short."

"Thanks, it's so much easier to care for," Maggie responds.

"What does Abe think of it?" Helen asks.

"He likes that it's easier to get to my neck," Maggie snickers and she can hear Sharon and Ron chuckling.

"How is Abe?" Doug inquires.

"He was ok when I talked to him a couple nights ago," Maggie answers. "But I probably should be getting home. He's probably worried about me."

"Ok, it was good seeing you again," Helen says as she and Doug step away from the car.

"Don't be a stranger," Doug tells Maggie.

"It was good seeing you two as well," Maggie replies as Ron starts the engine of the car. "I'll try and stop by a little more often."

"You better," Helen calls back as the SUV starts to pull away.

Maggie continues to wave until they exit through the gate and then she turns back around, a silly grin on her face. She sighs happily as they drive down the road towards her current home. A short time later they're pulling up to a different gate and Maggie gives the code to this one.

Ron pulls up to the front door and parks the car. He gets out and starts to unload her luggage as she and Sharon get the car seats out. Maggie lets them into the house and Ron proceeds to place the bags just inside the front door while Maggie and Sharon bring the babies upstairs.

They put the babies in their crib and get them tucked in. Maggie follows Sharon back downstairs and out the front door. As they step out into the bright sunlight, Ron is shutting the back of the SUV and Sharon turns towards her cousin while Ron gets behind the wheel of the car again.

"Thank you so much for driving me home," Maggie says. "You didn't really have to, you know."

"Yes, we did," Sharon replies. "You were wiped out and there's no way I was about to let you drive while you were that tired. Especially since you have the babies now."

"You're right, I was wiped out," Maggie agrees. "I'm not about to run any marathons right now as it is, but I do feel a bit better. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Sharon smiles as she gives Maggie a hug.

With that, Sharon turns around and quickly gets into the SUV. She waves goodbye as they pull away and Maggie returns the gesture. Once they're gone, she goes back inside and pushes the button that closes the gate.

She heads to the kitchen hoping that maybe there's a frozen bagel in the freezer that she can have for breakfast. At the very least, she can make herself some coffee and have a bowl of dry cereal. When she gets to the kitchen, she opens the refrigerator door with great trepidation and just about has a heart attack.

Instead of the green fuzzy food and slimy mold that she expected to find, she finds a fridge that's been cleaned out of science experiments and restocked with fresh food. She glances at the kitchen counter and sees that the fruit bowl has fresh fruit in it as well. With a smile on her face she makes herself a breakfast of orange juice, coffee, bagel and a banana before she finally decides to head upstairs with some of her luggage.

As she passes the nursery she can hear Morgan starting to stir and with a resigned sigh, she heads down the hall to drop off her bags. When she opens her bedroom door she nearly gasps in surprise to what's waiting there. With a smirk on her face, she quietly puts down her luggage and then heads off to tend to her children's needs before coming back to her homecoming surprise.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yeah, I know it's short, but I promise that there will be plenty of ahem _action_ in the next chapter. 


	18. Happy to See Me

It's a little after midnight as Abe closes the door separating Maggie's house from the BPRD. The hidden tunnel that runs between the two places is nearly half a mile long and he remembers how she used to complain about it when she was nearly six months pregnant. But to talk to her every night, he'd walk a lot farther than that to hear the sweet sound of her voice.

He sets the lock and changes the code once more to make sure he's not disturbed. Granted, Manning could just send men around topside to the front door of the house, but they'd still have to get past the gate. Besides, he and Manning had a talk and it was agreed that having these very private phone conversations should not be conducted on phones that are recorded for security reasons. But it's not Manning that Abe is worried about getting in. Hellboy and Guillermo have been ribbing him incessantly ever since he started coming up here for these late night calls, not that a lock door would stop Guillermo from getting in, but at least it will slow down Hellboy.

Without turning on any lights, Abe makes his way up the pitch black basement stairs until he reaches the door. Placing a bare hand on the wood, he determines that the house is empty except for the cat. He quietly opens the door and lets himself into the house proper.

Still leaving the lights off, he walks into the house not needing the extra illumination. He turns and heads for the stairs and as he passes the kitchen, he preens a little at the thought that he actually was able to get her home ready for her arrival. The most arduous and daunting task was cleaning out the refrigerator that had been ignored for the last three months. He's not sure he would have even finished it if Liz hadn't taken pity upon him and helped him out by telling him what should be tossed and what should stay. The scrubbing she refused to help with while muttering something about Hellboy and the small fridge in his room.

He climbs the stairs to the second floor silently, keeping his mind open for the cat who for some perverse reason likes to try and trip him on the steps. As if on cue, Wizard comes down the stairs as silently as a breeze. Abe simply stops and waits for the animal to pass. As if disgusted that he wasn't able to trip his mistress's husband yet again, Wizard flips his fluffy tail at Abe as he passes the merman and continues on his way to his food bowl in the kitchen.

Abe simply smiles at the small furry beast and finishes ascending the steps. He makes a quick stop at the linen closet to get another hand towel to use, making a mental note to try and figure out the clothes washer since this is the last of the towels he prefers to use. Wash cloths are too small for the clean up job and bath towels are just overkill.

Abe continues down the hall and stops outside of the nursery. He looks in on the room that his children will soon be sleeping in. He tries to imagine them in their crib, being rocked in the glider rocker in the corner, even having their diapers changed on the dresser/changing table. With a sad hum, he turns away from the kid's room and heads to the master bedroom.

Once there, he strips off everything but his goggles and his respirator exposing himself to the cool night air. He lies down near the nightstand that the phone sits on, dropping the towel on it as he does so and waits. He knows he's going to have to wait for at least an hour, but he doesn't want to chance missing her call, so he always arrives early.

He decides to pass the time thinking of what he's accomplished the past several days instead of reading like he normally does. He thinks about his experiments and their results briefly, but it's not something to exercise his brain for an hour. He ponders for a while what he can analyze for an hour and then his mind wanders to what started this whole mess.

He remembers his research into Langdon Everett Caul, the scientist and occult investigator who disappeared shortly before Abraham Lincoln's assassination. He inherited a fortune, coming from a long line of sailors that if one searched back far enough, it is entirely likely that pirates would be found in his ancestry. Despite the fortune, he often sailed and a captain that he frequently sailed under was one Elihu Cavendish.

Caul settled in a small costal town in Rhode Island where he had a house built to his strict specifications. He married a local girl, Edith Howard who was already a bit unstable mentally. A month after Caul disappeared she threw herself into the ocean with several people witnessing the event. She was presumed dead though her body was never found. The house still stands, but he's not sure he wants to visit it or not, so he's decided to wait until after Maggie returns before discussing it with her.

Perhaps the strangest thing that he dug up was a picture of Caul taken about a year before he disappeared and his birth certificate. According to the certificate, Caul would have been around seventy at the time of his disappearance, but the picture is of a man who at best was in his mid-thirties to early forties. If the man in that picture was seventy years old then he's a monkey's…Ok, so that's not the best comparison since Liz and Hellboy are telling Trevor that he's 'Uncle' Abe.

With a groan, he turns and looks at the clock. His heart starts racing as he notes that it's approaching two o'clock in the morning. He gets up and starts pacing the room, the dresser no longer affecting him since he can now block it out. He worries as he takes his pacing out to the hall and tries to wear a hole through the marble floor.

After spending an hour burning off pent up energy, he returns to her bedroom too tired and depressed to return to his tank, though he knows he should. He lies back down on the bed, curls up in a ball and begins to keen full out, not caring that the cat is now hiding under the couch downstairs trying to escape the sudden noise or the feeling of his skin drying out. The knowledge that there will be no phone call again tonight is almost more than he can take emotionally.

After a while, the keening slowly fades and eventually it stops. Wizard cautiously crawls out from under the furniture some time later and carefully makes his way upstairs. When he gets to Maggie's bedroom he jumps on the bed and encounters new and strange smells. After a few tentative sniffs, he decides it's safe and starts to wash himself. After thoroughly grooming himself, he curls up and goes to sleep.

* * *

Several hours later, it takes nearly an hour to get the twins changed, fed and settled down back to sleep. Fortunately, they're still on California time so they think it's still dark outside. When she's finally done, Maggie grabs the baby monitor and then quietly closes the door to the nursery. She makes the short trip to her bedroom, shoos the cat out of the bed, closes that door, strips most of her clothes off and then slides into bed to enjoy her surprise.

* * *

He dreams of her. He dreams of her pressed against his back, her bare skin warming his own. A soft hand gently caresses his arm, chest, abs, hip and thigh. He can feel his blood rushing down to his groin and it doesn't hurt. He knows that something isn't right, but he can't remember why and as nails drag up his thigh before that hand carefully grips his manhood, he doesn't care. The hand, so warm and soft and gentle, strokes him to full hardness and he moans with the need for more.

"Well, at least a part of you is happy to see me," an amused voice quietly states.

Both sets of eyelids fly open at the sound of her voice and his heart starts to race. At first he thinks it's just his imagination getting the better of him until that hand takes a firmer hold of him. He lets out a cry of joy just before he does a maneuver that more than likely breaks the laws of physics.

She squeaks in surprise as she suddenly finds herself pinned to the mattress with a very aroused husband on top of her. His lips claim hers as his hands begin to explore her body, touching and caressing everything they can reach. When he encounters her bra, he lets out a low growl as he starts to grope for the fastening.

"Want just you," he snarls as he wrestles with the thing.

She shifts slightly so he can get better access to it and just as he finally gets the miserable thing to release, she gives out a whimper of pain. He looks down and sees a couple red welts starting to form as a drop of blood begins to bead on her side from where he scratched her. He leans down and very gently licks the twin wounds, getting very horny in the process. She gasps in surprise at first and then moans with need as for some strange reason she's now extremely aroused.

"Need you," she pants.

"Gladly," he replies as his lips work their way around her body to her breasts.

He licks the first little pink bud and she arches her back off of the bed as she gasps again. Smiling to himself, he continues to torment her as he moves to the next nipple. He continues to lave attention on that sweet little spot, enjoying the taste of her milk as she squirms around underneath him, whimpering.

"Now!" she demands while she grabs him and tries to pull him into position.

"As you wish," he whispers just before he slides into her.

"Ohgodyes," she moans.

She wraps herself around him in an embrace only lovers know. He wants this to last, he wants it to last for days if possible, but before he can stop himself he's pushing them both over the edge screaming. Memories flood their minds as they lay there trembling and she basks in them, feeling like she's truly returned home.

Several minutes pass as they just hold each other, not willing to part. But eventually, he pulls away from her and she whimpers at the loss. He settles down next to her and she immediately cuddles up to him with her head on his chest but only after she bonks her head against a piece of hard plastic.

"I guess we were in a hurry," she chuckles as she taps his respirator with a nail. "I didn't even get a chance to get it off of you."

"Wouldn't have been in such a hurry if you'd come home with me," he says and instantly regrets it as he feels her try to pull away but he holds onto her. "I'm sorry. That was very thoughtless of me. Please forgive me."

She grumbles a bit, but stops trying to get away and settles back down next to him. After a little squirming around, they're both comfortable once more and he purrs with happiness. She smiles as she closes her eyes and lets her thoughts wander.

"Why did you analyze your spit?" she asks, clear out of the blue.

He laughs at first, surprised that she picked that memory out.

"I wanted to know why my licking your nipples eased your pain while the topical ointments were unable to do the same," he answers. "I found that my saliva has anesthetic properties to it. That's why it eased your pain."

"What about bacteria?" she questions.

"It seems my saliva has some antiseptic properties to it as well," he replies. "It also has a third element to it that I haven't been able to figure out what it does."

"Some how I don't think Hellboy's going to let you lick his wounds clean," she chuckles.

"That's fine, I wouldn't do it anyways," he purrs. "You're the only one I want to lick."

A shiver runs down her spine and shoots a hot bolt of electricity to her groin and she moans. He snickers as he moves so that he can find her ear and starts nibbling on it as his hand finds her breast. She squirms around beside him, not sure if she's trying to get closer or farther away from him.

A low soft keen causes her to suddenly stop moving as every nerve in her body feels like its singing. Her heart is pounding against her rib cage and she can't seem to breathe as her body cries with need. Mindful of his nails, he slips his hand between her legs and relieves her of the pressure that's built up there.

She screams her completion as she arches completely off of the bed, collapsing several seconds later. She lays there whimpering, panting and trembling from the intensity of the experience. He pulls her limp form into his arms, carefully examining her. Her heart is beating abnormally fast, her breathing is fast and shallow and her skin is cold and clammy.

He quickly wraps her in the comforter on the bed and holds her close as he carefully monitors her body. Several minutes pass before she's calmed down enough to even look up at him. She gazes at him with a look that's part accusing, part sadness and a lot of confusion and it about kills him inside.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I didn't realize that keening would affect you like that."

"It wasn't like that when we talked on the phone," she states quietly.

"Red, stated that he could feel the keening as well as hear it," Abe muses. "The vibration must also have an effect on your central nervous system as well as the sound. Hmm, I'll have to look into that more."

"Not on me you're not," she growls.

"No, not on you," he affirms with a gentle smile as he settles her closer to him. "Sleep now. You're exhausted."

"And who's fault is that?" she jokingly grumbles as she relaxes into him and closes her eyes.

He only chuckles in response as he kisses the top of her head. He gently strokes her hair as her breathing becomes slow and even. With a soft purr, he starts to drift off to dreamland with her. Just as sleep starts to claim him, the sound of rustling sheets and a little whimper wakes him and Maggie lets out a groan and a sigh.

"I'll get her," he offers as he starts to disentangle himself from her.

"Thanks," she mumbles as she rearranges herself and attempts to get a little bit more rest.

He quickly gets dressed, leaves and heads down the hall. He enters the nursery just as Morgan's whimpers start getting more persistent. He talks quietly as he lifts his daughter and is surprised how much she's changed in the few days they've been apart.

After changing her diaper he heads down to the kitchen. He opens the fridge and finds that there's no expressed milk waiting for him. Curious to why this is and the fact that Morgan's now crying for food, he heads back upstairs.

When he opens the door to the master bedroom, he finds Maggie already waiting for them. He hands Morgan over and watches in fascination as Maggie latches her on while lying down and then she presses the heel of her hand into the nipple of the other breast. He climbs back into bed with them and settles down behind Maggie, replacing the pillow she was using as a back support.

"Why are you trying to push your nipple back?" he asks in curiosity.

"If I don't, I'll leak all over her," she groggily answers.

"Ah," he replies as he slides his hand over hers. "Let me help."

With a sigh of relief, she slides her hand out from under his and lets him stop the flow of her milk let down. In a few moments she's dozing while their daughter is slurping away. He happily watches over them a feeling of contentment fills him, something he hasn't felt in almost a week.

About twenty minutes later, Morgan turns away from the breast and Maggie lets out a hiss since the sweet little dear didn't release the suction before pulling off. A second later, Dylan can be heard making noises and Abe more than willingly goes to get him. A few minutes later the boys return and there is a swapping of the babies just before Maggie rolls over and starts to feed Dylan.

Abe takes Morgan and returns to the nursery with her. Once there he burps her, changes her clothes and diaper and then settles down in the glider. He happily rocks his daughter as he quietly sings to her, completely unaware of time passing by.

"Is there anything I can do better than you?" Maggie asks, startling Abe out of his little world.

"What do you mean?" he inquires as he cocks his head to the side.

"You cook better than me, you handle scared animals better than I do, you read faster than I do and now you sing better than I do," she gripes from where she's standing wearing only a bathrobe and holding their son. "Who ever heard of a singing fish?"

"You make beautiful babies better than I do," he suggests hopefully.

"We both made the babies," she points out as she steps into the room. "I was just the incubator."

"You can produce milk better than I can," he offers.

"How about something that's an actual ability instead of something my body automatically does?" she grouses. "Next you're going to say I breathe better than you do."

"You're a better house keeper than I am," he shoots back as he gracefully stands. "And you do breathe better than I do."

"Really? Then who cleaned out the fridge?" she demands while she starts to change Dylan's clothes and diaper. "You're even more graceful than I am."

"I cleaned the refrigerator with Liz's help," he responds. "Why the sudden hostility?"

"I'm sorry," she sighs sadly. "It's just I'd like to think that maybe there's something that I'm good at or maybe something we're both equally bad at."

"This is a marriage, my love, not a competition," he points out as he steps up behind her. "You're a much better horsewoman than I am."

"That's only because I've had more practice," she grumbles while she finishes changing Dylan. "I'm sure you'll be better than me with a couple lessons."

"Does it really matter?" he quietly asks as he slips an arm around her waist and pulls her against him. "All that matters to me is that I love you and all of you are now home. You make me happy like no one else can."

"I really make you happy?" she questions worriedly as she lifts the baby into her arms.

"Very," he answers as he buries his face in her hair.

"I'm sorry," she says a minute later, feeling like she's on the verge of tears. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You're tired and your hormones are still unbalanced," he tells her as he makes her turn around and face him. "I'll take the twins downstairs while you get some more sleep."

"Actually, all I want right now is a shower and some food," she replies as she gets lost in those incredible blue eyes.

"Then I'll take the twins and make a snack for us," he states as he takes Dylan from her.

"Thank you," she responds just before she stands on her tiptoes and gives him a kiss.

He watches her leave the room, admiring the view as she goes before heading downstairs. He puts the twins in their swings and flips the switch and gives them a gentle push to make them go. Then he heads for the kitchen to make a snack for them to share, trying to ignore the growling in his belly since he hasn't had breakfast yet.

About half an hour later, she comes downstairs and finds him pulling a baking sheet out of the oven loaded with scones and a pot of tea waiting on a tray. She gets plates and cups as he places the scones on another plate. After getting the lemon curd, whipped butter, preserves and honey onto the tray, they head for the family room where the twins are gently swinging away.

The babies are blissfully asleep again as the two of them sit down to their food. After getting themselves served, they cuddle up together on the couch and talk quietly about what they did while apart. Just as they are finishing up, the phone rings and Maggie goes to answer it.

"Hello?" she greets.

"Ah, good, Mrs. Sapien, you're home," the man on the other end of the line says. "This is Dr. Manning. Is Abe there?"

"Yes, hold on," she answers before turning and holding the phone out to her husband. "Manning wants to talk to you."

Abe stands and crosses the room in a few steps before taking the handset from her. He talks briefly with Manning before returning the phone to its cradle. She watches him as he pauses a few moments before turning around.

"There's a mission, isn't there?" she asks, already knowing the answer and hating it.

"Yes," he sadly answers before coming back over to her. "I have to go. If you need help, just call Guillermo or Liz. I'm sure one of them can help you."

"Thanks, I'll manage," she replies and tries to smile, but utterly fails.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he tells her as he leans over and kisses her.

She walks him to the concealed door down in the basement where they say their goodbyes and she wishes him a happy birthday. She heads back upstairs to find that Morgan is waking up again. With a resigned sigh, she retrieves her daughter and takes her back upstairs to change her diaper, making a mental note to get a changing table for downstairs.

* * *

Three days later, Abe leaves the back of the garbage truck before the ramp even has time finish lowering. He quickly makes his way through the bureau, sometimes rudely brushing past other agents. His stomach is in a knot and he tells himself it's because he misses Maggie and the twins, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind tells him it's more than that. By the time he gets past the first set of security doors, through the tunnel and the second set of doors, he's nearly in a blind panic.

When he opens the basement door, a sound reaches his tympanic membranes that sends him flying up the stairs. He runs the length of the hallway swearing the thing got longer while he was gone. He bursts into the master bedroom and sees that all hell has broken loose.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Ooh, a cliff hanger. Haven't done one of those in a while. Sorry for the wait, life and another story got in the way. There's at least another chapter to this story (I guess there better be, huh?) and then I might finally end this story that wasn't supposed to be more than 5 chapters long. Darn overzealous muse getting the better of me. Hope everyone enjoyed. 


	19. Baby Blues

Abe takes a brief look around the bedroom and sees the bed is unmade, both adult and baby clothes scattered across the room and used wet diapers that have been tossed towards the wastebasket that failed to reach their mark. But that barely even registers in his brain as he hears another sob coming from the bathroom. He charges in there and finds Maggie wedged between the toilet and the sink desperately weeping.

"Maggie, are you alright?" he asks as he drops to his knees in front of her, reaching for her and all she can do is shake her head 'no' as she sobs even harder. "Where are the twins?"

"Oh god," she wails. "I killed them."

Abe sits there stunned for a moment as what she said sinks in and she starts to cry hysterically. Suddenly, he's out the door and searching the house for the babies. He tears through the master bedroom on his way to the nursery. He's so panicked that he can't concentrate enough to use his abilities.

He searches the nursery, the other bathroom and the play room, coming up empty in all of them. He charges downstairs and goes through the water closet, the kitchen, the office and the dinning room and still not finding the twins. He finally makes it into the family room and stops dead.

He sees them in their swings, motionless and with their eyes closed. He staggers across the room not even noticing the swings slight twitching as the dying batteries try to do their job and make the devices go. He doesn't remember removing his gloves, but it's bare shaking hands that he places on their little heads. The instant he touches them he knows the answer and he collapses to the floor.

He's not sure how much time has passed before he manages to gather himself together and make it over to the phone. He makes a call and then drags himself downstairs where he waits by the hidden door in the basement. When the others arrive, he tells them where to find the twins before dragging himself up two flights of stairs on shaking legs.

By the time he finally gets there, she's gotten off of the floor and going through the medicine cabinet. She dumps bottles and jars of various toiletry items onto the sink counter, heedless to the mess she's making. He gently lays a hand on her shoulder and then quickly grabs her wrists and pulls her away from the sink with her kicking and screaming all the way.

"NO! I KILLED THEM!" she screams hysterically as he sends out a mental shout for help. "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE! I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! I WANT TO DIE!"

"MAGGIE! MAGGIE!" he yells in her ear, trying to get her attention. "IT'S ALRIGHT! IT'S OK!"

"NO IT'S NOT! THEY'RE NOT CRYING!" she sobs back as the sound of feet thundering towards them reaches him. "THEY'RE DEAD! THEY HAVE TO BE DEAD! THEY'RE NOT CRYING!"

"THEY'RE JUST ASLEEP!" he shouts back as Dr. Hodson bursts into the room. "THEY WORE THEMSELVES OUT! THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!"

"NO!" she shrieks as she redoubles her efforts to free herself. "I KILLED THEM! THEY'RE NOT CRYING! THEY'RE DEAD!"

Abe desperately holds onto his wife as she continues to scream and cry and struggle to get away. Hodson quickly opens her black bag and pulls out a vial and a syringe. Abe can feel his muscles start to protest against the demands he's putting on them, but he ignores the aches as he grapples with the overly distraught woman in his arms.

"Abe, hold her still," Hodson instructs as she tries to get close to them.

He drags Maggie to the floor where he pins her down despite her struggles and screaming. Hodson quickly finds the best spot, sterilizes it and then administers the injection. Within a minute, Maggie's screams become whimpers and a few minutes later she's unconscious.

Abe gets off of her and pulls her limp form into his arms. He sits on the bathroom floor amid the dirty towels and scattered bottles gently stroking her unwashed hair. Hodson finishes putting everything away and then looks down on the two of them.

"We should get her back to the bureau," she states. "It's not safe to leave her up here."

"The twins?" he asks, not quite sure what he wants to know.

"I haven't had a chance to examine them yet," she answers. "I'll let you know. Let's just get everyone back and then we'll sort everything out."

"Yes, doctor," he replies with a nod. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she sighs sadly before she leaves.

He gathers her dead weight up more securely in his arms before he carefully stands and follows Hodson. He's barely aware of anything else as he slowly makes his way down to the bureau. All he can do is stare at the sedated woman he loves and notice that she hasn't bathed or changed her clothes for a couple of days.

Abe steps through the final door into the bureau and finds Manning there quietly talking to Hodson. They're blocking the hallway, so there's no way to slip past them. Abe stops and waits for them to finish which they do a minute later. Manning looks at Abe, then Maggie and then back up at Abe as Abe braces himself for a tirade.

"Take care of them," the director says before he turns and leaves.

Abe can only stand there completely confused by what just happened.

"I've talked to Manning and he understands that Maggie and the twins need peace," Hodson explains to the stunned merman. "He won't interfere with your family, Abe. I've made sure of that."

"How can you be sure he'll keep his word?" he asks as he starts walking again.

"I have my ways, Abe," she slyly smiles.

"What happened?" he asks. "Why was she acting that way? Why did she…?"

"She has post-partum depression," she answers before he can finish the last question as they approach an intersection. "It's very common, though it doesn't usually become this severe. Get her to bed and I'll come up and examine her after I'm done checking on the twins."

"Ok," he agrees.

They part ways at the junction and he heads towards the library. He steps into the large familiar room and notes that it's empty for which he's thankful for. He carefully carries her upstairs and enters the chamber that leads to his tank. He immediately turns and goes into the bedroom.

Just as he's finishing tucking her into bed, he hears a soft knock at the doorway. He looks up and sees John standing there with a tray of food and a very big jug of water.

"Hey, Dr. Hodson asked me to bring up some food for you guys," John whispers.

"It's alright, John," Abe replies in a normal voice as he steps towards the agent. "She won't wake until the sedative wears off."

"Oh," John says, a little uncertain of what to do next. "Where do want the food?"

"I'll take it, thank you, John," Abe tells him as he holds out his hands.

"Ok, here you go," John replies as he hands the tray over. "If you need anything else, let me know."

"You don't need to do that, John," Abe assures him. "I'm sure Hellboy will need you more than we will."

"Are you kidding?" John snorts as he starts to blush. "He's locked himself in his room with a bunch of food, Liz and Trevor and has stated that he's not coming out until he feels more…relaxed."

"I see," Abe chuckles. "If we need anything, I'll let you know then. Thank you."

"Sure," John nods. "I'll leave you two alone then."

After John leaves, Abe places the tray on the table, eats a couple rotten eggs and then checks on Maggie once more. He determines that she's going to be out for a little while more and decides to go for a swim.

He quickly strips and dives into the water. His body instantly feels better, but he can't say as much for his emotional or psychological state. He idly swims around his tank as he tries to figure out how this could have happened. Though he doesn't keep track of the time, he keeps a mental touch to her mind in case she wakes up.

"How is she?"

If he had been standing on dry land, Abe is sure he would have jumped clean out of his scales. Instead he swims over to the window to find Guillermo patiently waiting there.

"She's still sedated, but she should be waking up soon," Abe answers.

"Bet you have some questions," the librarian states as he finds his favorite chair and sits in it.

"I asked Liz to check in on her," Abe replies. "How could this have happened if Liz was doing that?"

"Because Liz wasn't," Guillermo tells him and then holds up his hand to stop the on coming barrage. "And before you start railing on the poor woman, let me tell you what was happening down here while you were gone."

Abe sullenly nods his agreement before Guillermo continues.

"Shortly have you two left, Trevor became very sick," Guillermo explains. "He eventually had to be taken to the medical wing and given fluids. Luckily, whatever was bothering him went through his system quickly but he only got out of the med unit this morning. Liz has been worried sick over him and I'm afraid she forgot about Maggie and the twins. She and Hellboy are locked away in his room right now and I think it's best that they don't know what happened until they've calm down about Trevor."

"My mind agrees with you," Abe starts.

"But…," Guillermo urges when Abe pauses.

"My heart doesn't," Abe concludes.

"I know, but it is for the best," Guillermo reminds him.

"I know," Abe grudgingly agrees. "Thank you for telling me. I'd better go check on Maggie."

"Of course," Guillermo nods as he struggles to rise. "Holler if you need anything."

Abe just quietly nods and heads back towards the surface. He quickly dries and dresses, feeling a little better physically at least. When he checks in on her, she's still unconscious. Since the sedative should have worn off long before now, he lays his hand on her cheek only discover that she's sound asleep. Before he can delve into her mind to find out what exactly happened, he hears a soft knocking at the door.

When he answers it, he finds Dr. Hodson standing there with Dylan in one arm and her black bag in her other hand. Without a word, Abe gladly relieves her of her little blue burden just before stepping back and letting the doctor in. Directly behind her is a nurse carrying Morgan and pushing an IV stand complete with a bag of fluids and he takes his daughter into his other arm.

The women stand there waiting until Abe leads them into the bedroom. He sits down with the twins and lets Hodson do her work, not even noticing when the nurse leaves. He's so intent on the very alert kids that he completely ignores what Hodson is doing at first. When he finally looks up, he's rather startled to see Hodson drawing blood.

"Why do you need blood?" he asks.

"I want to make sure she's not pregnant before I start administering any medications," Hodson answers while pulling out the needle.

"You think she might be pregnant?" he inquires.

"I'm just making sure," she replies as she puts the vial and needle away. "I don't want to take any chances. Has she woken since I sedated her?"

"No," he answers while she pulls out an alcohol wipe.

"I'm not surprised," she states as she starts to clean the back of one of Maggie's hands. "She was probably exhausted when we got there. I'm glad you got there when you did. If you hadn't, I'm not sure how this would have turned out."

"I'd rather not think about it," he mutters, the thought of being without his family horrifying him. "What could have caused her to breakdown like this?"

"I'm sure you can ask her what happened when she wakes up, but it might be easier to go straight to the source," she replies as she slides the needle to the IV into the hand that was cleaned. "It's likely that she won't give you a straight answer if you ask. As it is, she's going to be very upset when she wakes up, so try to make sure she doesn't pull the IV out again, please."

"I will, doctor," he assures her. "But why would she be upset? The twins are alive and well from the looks of it."

"Yet she's now back under Manning's control," she points out as she starts the drip. "Not something she's going to be happy with. Plus, she's very depressed right now, so we need to keep a careful eye on her. Post-partum depression is not something to take lightly, Abe. She'll probably wake up thinking she's a horrible mother and more than likely she's going to pull away from the twins. We need to assure her every step of the way that she's a good and loving mother. It won't be easy and there's going to be the occasional set back."

"I'm sure once she nurses, she'll be fine," he states as she starts to collect her things.

"Except that she's so dehydrated that her milk is all but dried up," she tells him. "Once she has fluids in her again, her milk will come back but we'll need to encourage her to start nursing again."

"If you start giving her medication, won't that affect the milk?" he inquires.

"A little bit, but not enough to affect the babies," she replies as she closes her bag.

"What about food for the twins?" he asks. "If she's barely producing any milk, what happens when they get hungry again?"

"You let them try and nurse," she instructs. "When they're done, give them a bottle of formula. I'm hoping to get the off the formula as soon as possible or at least only have it as a supplement to her milk."

"But where do I get the formula?" he questions. "I can't exactly go to the local market."

"My nurse will be back shortly with the formula and bottles," she chuckles. "Just follow the direction on the can."

"How are they?" he finally inquires as he looks back down at the twins who seem to be getting drowsy again.

"They were hungry and they've both got a bad diaper rash, but other than that, they seem fine," she answers. "I threw out the clothes they were wearing. I'm not sure how long they were in those diapers, but it must have been a long time. I sent John to get more clothes and diapers from the house, so he should be back shortly."

"What was wrong with Trevor?" he quietly asks.

"I'm not sure yet," she responds as she picks up her bag and starts to head towards the exit. "I haven't gotten the reports back from the lab. It was probably something he ate. For the time being it's probably best to keep him separate from the twins. Do you have any other questions?"

"No, Dr. Hodson," he answers while he stands. "Thank you for all you've done."

"You're welcome," she smiles.

She quietly leaves and he stands there staring at the figure in the bed. It bothers him that she's gone from self assured, confident woman to a nervous wreck in only a few days. He knows that there's only one way to satisfy his curiosity, so he settles the nearly sleeping babies down next to their mother and then crawls into the bed on the other side. He lays his hand on her forehead and silently slips into her mind. In a matter of moments the last three days are played back for him.

She becomes overwhelmed by the constant demands from the twins, the feedings, the changing of diapers and clothes and the constantly wanting to be held. Because of this she isn't able to take proper care of herself, so not only has she not been able to bathe, but she's barely eaten or drank over the last couple days and sleep has been almost non-existent by the time she couldn't take it any more.

Overwhelmed and exhausted, when the twins start they're last demand from her she just runs and hides, crying in shame and exhaustion. When their cries ceased, she _knows_ that they have died and it's her fault, but it isn't until her admission to Abe that true despair sets in. It isn't until then that she knows she can't live life without them in it.

A shiver runs down his spine as he pulls his hand away from her head. He now understands how Hodson was able to draw blood and insert an IV needle into her without as much as a twitch. He checks to see that the babies are now asleep pressed against their mother's side and he starts to settle down himself on her other side when someone knocks at the door.

When he answers it he finds the nurse from earlier with a box of feeding paraphernalia, a couple cans of soy formula and another bag of fluids. He takes the box from her, thanks her and she leaves to return to her duties. He puts the box on the table and heads back to bed only to be stopped by another knock. He finds John waiting with a couple shopping bags of worth of clothes and a new package of diapers and wipes. Abe takes the items and thanks the agent before closing the door. Once he's stowed the bags next to the box, he slips into bed and falls into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Author's Notes: Post-partum depression, or baby blues as it is sometimes called, is a very serious condition that should never be ignored or taken lightly. Ok, at least one more chapter coming before I finally end this story. And fear not, my pretties, my muse is cramming more story ideas in my head. Hopefully I'll get them written out before I lose my mind. 


	20. Awakening

The sound of whimpering wakes him from his less then restful sleep. At first he's disoriented since he's not used to sleeping in a bed much less having a warm body next to him. Another whimper drags him back to reality and he opens his eyes to see that Morgan is starting to wake up.

Maggie stirs slightly next to him and he quickly touches her mind and body. She's still exhausted so he pushes her mind into a deeper stage of sleep. He rolls her on her side and uses several pillows to prop her in place before he opens her top.

It takes him several tries, but he finally gets Morgan latched on. She suckles for about a minute before she pulls off and she's not happy. Abe quickly picks his daughter up into his arms. Normally he would change her diaper but it's very evident that will only get her more upset as she's already on the verge of all out screaming as it is.

He makes shushing noises as he swiftly crosses the room to the box that the nurse brought earlier. He quickly starts pulling items out of the box until he finds the can of formula. He speed reads the instructions as he continues to bounce the baby in his arms and make comforting sounds.

By the time he's got the bottle made up, there's a huge mess of spilt formula and water on the table, chair, floor and Abe and Morgan is extremely upset if her crying is anything to go on. It takes him several tries before she realizes that she's being offered food. When she finally does start to eat, she glares at him as if accusing him for being given formula instead of her mother's milk.

He feels his shoulders sag with relief as he starts to sink down onto the end of the bed. No sooner does his backside touch the bed when he hears Dylan start to wake up. For one heart stopping moment, he's not sure what to do.

He quickly 'checks' the library before running out the door and down the stairs as fast as he can. Guillermo meets him at the bottom of the steps with a confused look on his face. The confusion is replaced with a startled one mixed with a bit of horror as Morgan is thrust into his arms just before Abe reverses his course back up the stairs without so much as a word to the man.

Abe runs back into the bedroom, makes sure that Maggie is still sleeping soundly, rolls her over and then manages to latch Dylan on a bit more quickly than he did with Morgan. Knowing he has maybe a minute, he quickly heads over to the table and starts to get a bottle ready for his son. Since he now has two hands and he knows what he's doing, he gets the bottle completed without adding to the mess.

He's ready when Dylan pulls off a few moments later. Scooping the baby up into his arms, he sticks the nipple into Dylan's mouth and the little one immediately starts to suck on the bit of rubber. He doesn't look to happy with the taste of the formula, but at least he's not scowling at his father.

With Dylan still in his arms, Abe grabs a couple towels from the bathroom before he heads back down to the library and finds Guillermo almost exactly where he left him. Guillermo looks up from his seat on the steps when he hears footsteps descending from above. He gives Abe a sad sort of smile before turning back to the little girl in his arms.

"I forgot how tiny they are," Guillermo states as he gets a bit misty eyed.

"Yet they've grown so much in the past month and a half," Abe points out as he settles down on the steps above the librarian.

"Enjoy it while you can," Guillermo smiles. "Before you know it they'll be scaling the shelves in the library."

"Maggie has already threatened to throw them in the tank with me if they get out of hand," Abe chuckles.

"That girl can be one smart little cookie sometimes," Guillermo muses. "And other times she can be a down right ditz. Why the heck didn't she come down here if she needed help?"

"I don't think she realized how much she had come to depend on everyone helping her," Abe states. "It must have been such a shock to go from several helping hands to none. To top that off, she got almost no sleep and very little food or water in the past few days, so she's not thinking with a clear mind. Let's not forget that she's afraid that bringing them down here puts them in Manning's control. She's not going to be very happy about that when she finally wakes up."

"How long has she been out?" Guillermo asks as he puts down the empty bottle, grabs a towel from Abe and then starts to burp Morgan.

"About four hours," Abe answers. "We got back shortly before six and I know that Maggie had to be sedated shortly after I found her and the twins. I'm hoping to keep her asleep until tomorrow morning."

"That'll be good for her, but what are you going to do?" Guillermo questions as Morgan gives out a healthy sized burp. "I'm going to bed in a little bit and I would highly appreciate it if you didn't drop a baby on me at two in the morning."

"I hadn't thought of that," Abe replies, shocked and worried about how he's going to survive the night alone. "They seem to be eating around the same time again, so I'm not going to be able to do one at a time. I don't want to bother the doctor or the nurses for help. What am I going to do?"

"How about I ask John to spend the night down here in the library?" Guillermo suggests as he repositions himself and Morgan into a more comfortable position. "He's young; he can handle a night of little sleep better than I can."

"That would be good," Abe agrees as he puts down Dylan's bottle and starts to burp him. "Thank you, Guillermo."

"You're welcome," Guillermo replies.

They sit in silence until Dylan lets out a burp to rival Trevor and both males chuckle at this. Abe takes Morgan and the towel from Guillermo and heads back upstairs as Guillermo struggles a moment before he stands. Abe stops and watches the man as he limps towards the exit, leaning heavily on his cane.

"I'm sorry," Abe says from his spot half way up the stairs. "I shouldn't have just dumped her in your arms without checking with you first."

"It's alright," Guillermo smiles with a dismissive wave. "I was a young and inexperienced father once too. Good night."

"Good night," Abe replies as Guillermo turns and leaves the library.

Abe returns to Maggie's room with two very sleepy children. After placing them carefully on the bed so they can't roll off, he goes through the bags of clothes and comes up with pajamas for the two of them and then grabs a couple diapers as well. He strips first Dylan and gets his first look at how bad the diaper rash is.

The bright red mark completely covers his genitals, goes about an inch down each leg and part way up his back. After making sure that the towels that were used as burp rags are securely under the child, Abe goes rummaging around the box of supplies on the table. After about a minute he finds the tube of ointment that he was pretty sure he had seen earlier and returns to the bed.

By the time he gets there, Dylan has christened the towels and is whimpering and squirming a bit since the urine stings his rash. Abe quickly gets the towels off of the bed and dries off his son. After slathering a good sized amount of ointment on the rash, Dylan gets redressed and settled in next to his mother. A couple minutes later, Morgan joins him after receiving the same treatment as her brother. Just as he's getting everyone settled down, there's a soft knock at the doorway.

"Ah, John, good," Abe greets when he turns around. "I hope this isn't too much of an imposition on you."

"No, I'm good," John assures him. "Besides, I'm used to feeding Hellboy. Feeding a baby's got to be a lot easier. I'll be downstairs catching up on some paperwork for a while and then I'll crash on the couch."

"Ah, my report," Abe moans.

"Don't worry about it," John tells him. "Manning understands you're a bit busy right now. Besides, how often does Hellboy get his reports in on time? I'll let you get some rest now. Call if you need anything.

"Thank you, John," Abe says as the agent turns to go.

"Sure, not a problem," John calls back over his shoulder just before he disappears through the door.

After making sure everyone is resting comfortably, Abe goes over and starts cleaning up the mess over at the table. Once that task is completed, he preps a couple bottles for the next feeding and then returns to bed. Even though sleeping on dry land is very uncomfortable for him, he's so wiped out that he's asleep within minutes of lying down.

* * *

By the time dawn breaks, Abe is so exhausted he's shaking. He lays the recently fed and changed twins back in bed with their mother, tosses out the empty bag of fluids and with trembling limbs, he climbs in beside Maggie. He starts to drift off again, ignoring the fact that there are no clean bottles or nipples left; he's just too tired to care at the moment.

Just as he's on the edge of sleep, she starts to stir next to him. He pulls her to him and tries to make her go back to sleep, but it doesn't work, she's too well rested now. In her sleep hazed world, she doesn't question why he's in bed with her as she snuggles into his arms. He sends her thoughts of love, comfort and belonging as she sighs with contentment.

She tries to enjoy her peaceful existence, but something in the back of her mind is trying to worm its way forward. She stretches again and a discomfort on the back of one her hands causes her to finally open her eyes. Abe holds her tighter and wraps one of his legs around hers as she stares in dumbfounded surprise at the IV in her hand while he pins that arm between them.

The memories hit her like a tidal wave and at first she even has trouble breathing as her body starts trembling and her heart starts pounding. A second later, she starts thrashing and trying to get away from the loving arms holding her tight. Despite his own exhaustion, he doesn't loosen his grip on her as he calls for help.

_John, get Hodson in here now!_

John falls off of the couch he was sleeping on and lands with a 'thump!' After a few seconds of disorientation, he climbs to his feet and staggers across the room to the phone. After racking his mind for her extension for several seconds, he calls the doctor and then stumbles up the stairs.

By the time he gets to the bedroom, Abe is struggling with Maggie to keep her still and she's fighting him for all she's worth. Abe's talking quietly to her but she can't hear because she's crying and wailing. John catches a few words about 'killed' and 'babies' and that sets the agent into motion.

He quickly steps into the room and notices that the twins are sleeping on the bed next to their thrashing mother. Not even bothering to check what Abe wants, John goes over to the bed and picks up the first baby he lays his hands on. It takes him several tries, but he finally manages to get the second child up into his arms just as Dr. Hodson comes charging into the room still wearing her pajamas, her robe untied and carrying her black bag.

"Don't go anywhere, John," Hodson orders as she quickly moves to the side of the bed and the agent moves out of the way.

She opens her bag and pulls out a bottle and a syringe again. A few moments later, Hodson is trying to stick the needle through the IV connected to the back of Maggie's hand and having little success since Maggie's still being hysterical.

"Might I suggest a larger target," Abe grinds out through gritted teeth.

Hodson can only nod in agreement as she grabs an alcohol wipe from her bag. Within seconds the injection is given and a minute later Maggie relaxes in Abe's arms. Though she doesn't lose consciousness, she lies there, quietly crying and whimpering with her eyes closed as he loosens his hold on her.

"Is she alright?" John quietly asks from his spot next to the wall.

"She has post-partum depression, John," Hodson answers as she puts her things away. "It'll be a while before she's alright. But she is calmer for now."

"Her depression hasn't effected her hearing," Abe states rather testily from the bed. "She can hear the two of you just fine."

"Sorry, Abe, Maggie," John replies contritely.

"I'm sorry as well," Hodson apologizes as she turns to the couple on the bed. "Maggie, how are you feeling?"

Her only response is a choked sob as Abe strokes her hair continuing to send her thoughts of love and encouragement.

"Maggie, it's alright," Abe assures her.

"No, it's not," she whimpers. "I killed them."

"No, my love, you didn't," he tells her. "They're still very much alive."

"They're not crying," she points out with a sniff as she finally opens her eyes again looks at him.

"That's because they're sleeping," he replies as he waves John over. "Look for yourself."

She looks over at John as he steps up to the bed. He holds the babies so she can clearly see them. But instead of reaching for them as he expected her to do, she draws away from them, turns and buries her face in her pillow.

"Maggie?" Abe softly calls, trying to pull her attention back to the children.

"Take them away," she whispers through her tears. "I don't deserve to be their mother."

She starts crying again, but thanks to the sedative she was given, she's not hysterical. Hodson sighs part in sadness, part in frustration as she ties her robe shut. John just watches in confusion as his arms start to protest the strain of holding the twins in the same position for so long.

"Abe, see if you can get her to eat," Hodson instructs as Maggie pulls the covers over her head. "When this bag of fluids is empty, go ahead and take the IV out and then get her cleaned up. Hopefully after some food and getting clean she'll feel a bit better. I believe there's a collapsible port-a-crib downstairs. John, would you please bring it up?"

"Yes, ma'am," John immediately agrees and with a nod, the doctor leaves. "Where should I put the babies?"

"Put them next to me on the bed," Abe tells him. "Would you please bring me the food tray? I believe it's still on the table."

John puts the twins where Abe requested as quickly and gently as possible before going over to the table. He has to dig the tray out from under all of the mess before he can bring it to them. Abe sits up, shifts so his back is against the headboard and takes the tray with a smile of thanks and after smiling back, the agent heads downstairs to find the port-a-crib.

Abe quietly peels an orange while keeping an eye on the mound of bedding that is Maggie. She tries to pretend that she's not hungry but her growling stomach betrays her. Eventually, the smell of the orange and her empty tummy win and she partially emerges from her burrow.

With a shaking hand, she takes a segment from him and quickly eats it. Little by little, he slowly feeds her everything on the tray. When she's done, she lets out a large burp, mumbles an apology and buries herself back under the covers.

"You can't stay under there forever, you know," he tells her in an amused voice.

"Watch me," is the depressed reply.

"Maggie, my love," he whispers as he lies down beside her and starts stroking her through the bedding. "You're a wonderful mother. You were just overwhelmed. You went from having people help you take care of the twins and make your meals, to doing it all yourself. Anyone would have had a nervous breakdown."

"I left them to die," she whimpers and he can hear her breathing become ragged.

"You needed a break," he states as he pulls her closer to him. "You'll have help now. You won't have to do it alone anymore."

He doesn't get an answer as a tremor runs through her body and she starts sobbing once more. He just holds her, crooning to her to try and comfort her while he fills her mind with love. Some time later, the tears dry out and he glances up at the bag hanging from the IV stand.

He climbs out of bed, closes the valve and then heads to the bathroom for supplies before returning to the bed and sitting on the edge. He snakes a hand under the bedding and grabs a hold of her wrist and tries to pull it out. She fights him at first, but the sedative hasn't completely left her system yet and in the end he's able to draw the hand out.

"I'm going to remove your IV now, love," he softly tells her.

His only response is another whimper and more trembling to which he sadly smiles. He removes the IV as quickly as possible, but she still lets out little squeaks of pain as the needle is removed. He presses the wound closed with one hand and a piece of gauze as he tosses out the items that are not medical waste into the trash.

A minute later, he pulls back the gauze and examines the wound. Other than the fact that the iodine the doctor used to clean the site has left her skin orange and there's a hole in the back of her hand, it looks fine. He takes a wet wash cloth and thoroughly wipes the iodine off of her before he licks the wound knowing that his saliva will help heal it.

A violent shudder runs through her body as her hand grabs a hold of his, startling him and he hears her breathing become a bit labored. A wave of arousal hits him like a brick wall and if he used lungs to breathe, he'd be panting too. As it is, his heart starts racing and his shorts start getting a little too snug.

He drags her out from under the covers and pulls her into his lap. She doesn't fight him as she sits there trembling from the intensity of her feelings. He holds her tight as he strokes her dirty, greasy hair and he remembers Hodson's other instruction.

He pulls her more securely into his arms, stands up and carries her into the bathroom. After putting her down on the lid of the toilet she stands up on slightly shaky legs. She takes one look at him and he understands that there are some things that don't need an audience. He gently kisses her forehead just before turning and leaving the bathroom for her to take care of business.

* * *

When Liz walks into the library, she's a bit surprised to find John wrestling with the port-a-crib and from the looks of it, losing. She smiles to herself as he says a few mild expletives as he yanks and shoves on the thing trying to make it collapse.

"What are you doing, John?" she asks, quietly chuckling when he jumps at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, Liz, hi," he stutters. "I didn't hear you come in. Where's Hellboy? Do I need to get his breakfast?"

"He's in bed sleeping," she replies. "I thought I'd stretch my legs for a bit. What are you doing?"

"What? Oh, this," he stammers. "I'm trying to collapse this darn thing, but it's not being cooperative."

"You can take apart your bike and put it together again, but you can't figure out how to collapse a play pen?" she asks, chuckling again.

"It's not like the thing has instructions on it," he complains.

Instead of replying, she walks over to the play pen and pulls the pad on the bottom out. Clearly printed on the bottom of the pen are instructions to set up and collapse the thing complete with diagrams. After turning a lovely shade of pink, he reads the directions and collapses the play yard.

"So, any reason you're moving this thing or were you just looking for something to do?" she inquires as he picks the thing up, takes the pad from her and starts to head for the stairs.

"Abe and Maggie need it for the twins," he answers while struggling to get up the steps with a rather bulky item in his arms.

"Oh, Maggie's moved down here?" she questions in surprise. "I thought she was trying to avoid bringing the twins down here because she was afraid Manning would take them away."

"She was," he confirms as he slowly makes his way up the steps. "She didn't come down by choice."

"What happened?" she asks in concern.

"That's a rather long story, that might be better told some other time," Guillermo states from behind her, causing her to jump.

"Oh, jeez, Guillermo," she gasps as her heart goes a mile a minute. "You scared me. I didn't hear you come in."

"Ah, something else we need to work on then," Guillermo observes with a raised eyebrow. "You can detect body heat; I shouldn't be able to sneak up on you. When Hellboy is through relaxing, I want to see you back here for some more lessons. As it is, I saw your husband a minute ago and he's looking for you, so you better get."

"Yes, sir," she smiles as she quickly exits the room.

"Why didn't you tell her?" John asks from where he stopped on the stairs to catch his breath.

"There's already one stressed out woman around here, I don't need two," Guillermo answers. "Let Liz and Hellboy enjoy themselves for a few days. The world will come calling soon enough with out us shoving it in their faces. You might want to finish getting that thing up there. The twins won't sleep forever you know."

"Yes, sir," John chuckles as he picks up the play pen again and wrestles it the rest of the way up the stairs.


	21. Tremors

As Abe emerges from the bathroom, he finds John struggling with the port-a-crib and swiftly goes over to help the agent. They set up the play pen a lot faster than it took to take it down and then get the twins settled into it. As soon as that's done, Dr. Hodson knocks on the doorway, now fully dressed in her regular clothes.

"How is she doing?" she asks.

"She's still very depressed, but she has eaten and she's now in the bathroom," Abe answers.

"By herself?" she questions in a worried voice.

"I'm keeping in touch with her mind," Abe assures her. "She's very depressed, but she's not thinking suicidal thoughts right now."

"Good," she sighs with relief and then holds out a bottle with a child proof cap. "Here, give her these. Just follow the directions on the bottle."

"Anti-depressants," Abe states before even taking the container.

"Yes, it's a low dose," she replies as he takes the bottle. "Let's see if that does any good and if it doesn't, I'll prescribe a stronger dosage. I don't want to mess up her milk supply with medication if I can help it. Speaking of milk, how did last night go?"

"It was hectic at times," Abe responds with a graceful wave of his hand towards the silent man standing off to the side. "Luckily, John was able to help me."

"Hey, not a problem," John replies shyly. "Do you need anything else?"

"Would you mind watching the twins for a while?" Abe asks. "I want to get Maggie cleaned up."

"I guess I could do that," John answers hesitantly. "But what do I do if they start to wake up?"

"Come and get me," Abe tells him as he starts to turn towards the bathroom. "I'll see if I can get Maggie to nurse a little bit before we give them a bottle. Thank you, John."

With that, Abe disappears through the bathroom door leaving John and Hodson standing there. Hodson looks at the table covered in various things including all of the dirty bottles and sighs with a shake of her head. She quietly collects the bottles and puts them in the now empty box and then stacks the breakfast tray on top of the box as John quickly dashes downstairs to collect his paper work. As she's leaving she's met by John coming in with an armload of papers.

"I'll send someone with more bottles in a bit," she tells him as they dance around each other.

"What's wrong with those?" he asks.

"They're all dirty," she replies.

"But why didn't he wash them in the sink?" he questions.

"I don't think he knows yet," she answers.

"And he calls himself a psychic," he chuckles.

"Well, he has been a bit distracted," she responds with a smile.

John just shakes his head and heads into the bedroom to work on his paperwork that seems to have multiplied over night.

* * *

Abe quietly enters the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and finds Maggie just staring at herself at the large mirror over the sink. He steps up behind her, slipping his arms around her. She immediately pushes him away and retreats as far as she can from him.

"Don't touch me," she tells him, refusing to look him in the face. "I'm fat and ugly."

"You aren't fat," he replies and gets a withering glare in response. "You've gained some weight, that's true, but that's to be expected. Once you start an exercise regime you'll lose the weight in no time. And you most certainly are _not_ ugly."

"Going to be hard to exercise when Manning has me locked up," she moans as new tears leave tracks down her face.

"Manning isn't going to have you locked up," he assures her as he takes a step closer.

"Then why did he have me brought down here?" she demands, pressing herself into the wall.

"He didn't," Abe tells her. "Dr. Hodson and I thought it would be best if you were where people could help you."

"Help with what?" she sniffs. "Manning's just going to take the babies away saying I'm an unfit mother. And he'd be right."

She immediately dissolves into tears again as she slowly sinks to the floor, hugging herself. He gets down on the floor with her and pulls her into his arms. He gently rocks her until she cries herself out again and then continues holding her until she pushes away. He gets up and she's not sure whether or not she's happy about this until he returns with a drink of water and a pill for her.

"What is that?" she asks eyeing the small capsule suspiciously.

"It's an anti-depressant," he answers as he continues to hold the drink and pill out to her.

"So I need to be drugged now," she mutters bitterly.

"It's to help you feel better," he points out. "Please take it."

"Do I have a choice?" she sadly asks.

"No, not really," he answers.

"You'd force it down my throat?" she questions with a quavering voice, looking at him with horror filled eyes.

"No, of course not," he replies in shock. "But I might have to ask Dr. Hodson to give it to me in liquid form and then I'd give it to you in shots."

A shudder runs through her body just before she timidly takes the pill and water. He watches her intently as she takes her medication. He takes the cup after she's drained it and then gently kisses her on the temple.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he suggests.

"Do I have to?" she whines.

"Yes," he chuckles.

"Fine," she grumbles, but makes no move to get up off of the floor.

He just smiles gently as he stands and starts filling the tub. After getting the water to the temperature he knows she likes, he returns the cup to the sink. As the water continues to flow, he slowly gets her undressed and even though she doesn't fight him, she doesn't help either.

After he has her stripped, he stands up and proceeds to do the same to himself. While it's more than obvious to him that she's in no mood for fooling around, his body has other ideas. He sternly tells his body to behave itself, but it's not listening and he sees her eyeing him suspiciously.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he says as he walks over to her.

"No," she growls, still eyeing his growing manhood.

"I won't do anything that you don't want," he states and gets a disbelieving glare in response. "It's been four days Maggie, what did you expect it to do?"

"Fine, whatever," she replies in a melancholy tone.

He waits for her to stand, but instead she hugs her legs to her body and rests her head on her knees. He turns off the water and then goes back to her, kneeling, he starts to lift her into his arms. As soon as skin meets skin, her depression hits him like a ton of bricks and anything that might have resembled a growing interest quickly deflates.

A violent shudder runs through his body as he tries to control the deluge of emotions from her. As he fights to regain his mental balance, she starts to shove him away. She catches him off guard and he suddenly finds himself sitting on his backside, blinking at her in surprise. She scrambles for the door and he only just manages to catch her in time to prevent her escape.

"John is out there," he tells her, quieting her struggles for a moment.

"Let go," she angrily mumbles as she tries to push him away.

"No," he replies as he pulls her away from the door and picks up on why she's so upset. "I am not repulsed by you. I love you and I love holding you."

"Then why'd you shake like that?" she demands bitterly.

"When I touch your skin, I can read your emotions," he explains. "The more skin contact we have, the stronger the reading. I didn't prepare myself for all that you're feeling right now and it took me by surprise. I do love you and I will always want to touch you."

"Yeah, sure," she responds listlessly.

"If I have too I will make love to you right hear on the bathroom floor even with John in the other room," he quietly insists as he brings his mouth to her ear. "It'd probably put him in therapy for years, but I'll do it."

She gives a weak chuckle and then sags against him. He holds her for a while, sending her thoughts of love and encouragement before he picks her up into his arms. He carefully steps into the tub and then sets her back on her feet. He slowly lowers himself into the water, gently pulling her down with him.

As his body starts to submerge, he's very glad that he insisted on having a custom made tub built so that they can comfortably take a bath together. He guides her until she's laying back on her half of the bath with her head on the built in pillow. Once she's settled, he fully sinks under the water, humming with relief.

While the water is fresh instead of salt and it's warmer than he particularly cares for, it's still better than being out of it. He keeps a hand on her now rather squishy stomach as he starts to drift off. He's shaken out of his doze when she suddenly starts thrashing causing him to sit up. As soon as his head surfaces from his wet bed, he hears her shrieking and John profusely apologizing.

"Maggie, calm down!" Abe yells to be heard as he pulls Maggie into his arms. "John, please leave!"

"Leaving, right," John stammers as he dashes out the door.

It takes a couple minutes to get Maggie calmed down enough to get anything rational out of her. Once that's done though, Abe leaves her in the tub, wraps a towel around his middle and heads out to the bedroom. He finds John holding a fussy Morgan and he's rocking and singing the alphabet song to her in an attempt to get her to calm down.

Abe takes pity on the young agent and relieves him of the child. He then strips Morgan out of her clothes and diaper and returns to the bathroom. He drops his towel on the floor, climbs back into the bath and without even checking with the mother first, gets the baby latched on.

Maggie doesn't push Morgan away, but she doesn't hold her child either and this saddens Abe to no end. Despite the lack of attention from her mother, Morgan happily floats underwater, her green coloring more vibrant than ever as she nurses what she can from the breast she's latched onto. When Morgan is done, Abe takes her, dries her off, puts his towel back on and returns to the bedroom. John is just picking Dylan up when Abe reappears.

"Oh, good," John sighs with relief when he sees the merman. "I didn't want to upset Maggie again. Dr. Hodson sent up some more bottles but I'm not sure what to do."

Abe quickly redresses Morgan while giving John directions on how to get a bottle ready, not an easy task with a squirming baby in his arms, but he manages to make less of a mess of it then Abe did his first time. By the time Morgan is dressed, she's starting to get fussy again and Abe hands her over to John while taking Dylan off of his hands. John sticks the bottle in Morgan's mouth and watches as Abe divests his son of clothes and diaper.

"Is she ok in there by herself?" John whispers.

"She's still very depressed, but she's more listless than suicidal at this point," Abe replies.

"That's good," John replies. "Listen, about earlier…"

"That was my fault," Abe interrupts. "I didn't warn her that you would be coming to get me and I was so tired I was falling asleep when you came in. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"I'm more worried about her then me," John says as he sits in a chair by the table. "By the way, Liz now knows that Maggie and the twins are down here, but we didn't tell her why. Guillermo thinks one overly emotional woman around here is enough."

"He's right," Abe responds as he heads for the bathroom. "Sooner or later Liz will remember and then we will see what happens."

"And what I wouldn't give to miss those fireworks," John mumbles to Morgan after her father disappears through the bathroom door.

* * *

"All right, now where did they go?" Guillermo mumbles to himself.

"Where did what go?" John asks as he steps off of the stairs, carrying his paperwork in his arms.

"I had a stack of papers sitting here on my desk last night," Guillermo replies as he points to a bare spot on his cluttered desk. "I was in the process of translating and cataloging them. I know I left them right there."

"Well, that explains a lot," John sighs as he walks over to the librarian and puts the bundle down on the empty area. "I was working at your desk last night and when I took everything upstairs it felt like my paper work had doubled. I guess I grabbed your papers as well as my own. I was in such a rush I didn't check if I had any extra."

"It's perfectly alright, my boy," Guillermo chuckles as he pats John on the shoulder. "At least I know I'm not losing my mind. How are they doing, by the way?"

"Ok, I guess," John replies as he starts to separate the papers. "Maggie's had breakfast and bathed and the twins are fed, changed and sleeping, but she still doesn't want to hold them. Abe doesn't look so great. He seems to be pretty wiped out."

"That's ok, the Calvary is on the way," Guillermo smiles as he glances towards the ceiling briefly before looking back at John. "Go get some rest. Hellboy should be relaxed soon, so you better get caught up on your sleep now."

"You don't have to tell me twice," John chuckles just before he lets out a huge yawn.

As the agent exits, Dr. Manning walks into the library.

"I assume you know," Manning grumbles.

"Who do you think called them?" Guillermo asks as an eyebrow arches while the golden doors that lead to the lift, open.

"Somebody pinch me, I think I've died and gone to heaven," Rupert states in wonder as he stares around him.

"Gladly," Selma smirks as she walks past him, putting action to words and causing Rupert to jump.

"I said pinch, woman, not goose," he playfully admonishes.

"Pinch, goose, whatever," she shrugs.

"If you children are through," Susan growls as she stalks past them.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Peg gasps, staring in wonder at the walls.

"About time you lot arrived," Guillermo teases, dragging their attention to him and Manning. "I assume you remember Dr. Manning."

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Manning," Selma greets first. "I don't mean to be rude, but where's Maggie?"

"She's upstairs with Abe," Manning replies. "I'll show you the way."

Manning heads for the spiral staircase, quickly checks to make sure the others are following him and then heads up followed by Selma, Rupert, Susan, Peg and Guillermo bringing up the rear.

* * *

"Just touch one of them," Abe encourages.

"No," Maggie stubbornly refuses. "I don't deserve to be their mother."

She starts crying again and all he can do is pull her close and hold her as they sit on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He's exhausted beyond words, his skin is so dry it's on the verge of cracking and his patience is about at an end. When Manning comes through the doorway he's less than thrilled, but when he sees who's with him, he all but jumps for joy.

Selma immediately pushes her way past everyone to get to her daughter and takes a seat next to her on the bed opposite of Abe. She gently pulls Maggie towards her and when Maggie sees who's touching her, she collapses into her mother's arms crying heart wrenching sobs. Abe's self esteem drops to a new all time low and he slowly leaves the bed only to have his place taken by Rupert a second later.

"I suggest we should leave them for now," Guillermo quietly states before turning his attention to Abe. "You need some rest or you'll be worse off than Maggie."

Manning, not being comfortable with the emotional situation, gladly vacates the area. Susan and Peg stay a little longer, but decide to head out for now. It's Abe that doesn't budge much to Guillermo's disgust.

"Abe, either get your scaly butt back in that tank or so help me I'll get Hellboy in here to throw you in," Guillermo hisses.

Abe hesitates at first, but one look at the man's face and he doesn't need to be a psychic to know that Guillermo is _not_ joking. With a begrudging nod, Abe walks on shaky legs out of the bedroom and into his tank room. With some difficulty, he manages to strip and heads to the edge of his tank. Too tired to dive in, he just steps off of the edge and plunges into the water with a splash. Guillermo stares in shock at the waves lapping against the tiling before picking up the respirator, plugging it in its charger and then exiting the room to head downstairs.

A while later, Guillermo finally makes it to the bottom of the steps and finds that Manning is long gone and Susan and Peg are watching Abe sleep. He quietly calls the kitchen to have something to eat sent down and then joins the women. They pass the time amicably and when the tea and scones arrive, they sit and enjoy the repast while talking about nothing important.

* * *

By the time Rupert and Selma rejoin them with the babies in their arms, the tea is cold and there are only a couple scones left. But they don't care as they hand the twins off to the great-grandmothers before serving themselves. They wearily sit down with their food and begin to eat, barely even noticing what they're consuming.

"How is she?" Peg asks worriedly.

"She's sleeping for now," Selma answers.

"What exactly happened?" Rupert inquires just before he takes another sip of tea.

After letting out a long sigh, Guillermo tells them about Abe and Hellboy going on a mission, leaving Maggie alone with the twins. He relates how Trevor got sick and Liz wasn't able to go and help her. Since everyone was concerned about Trevor, no one thought to check in on Maggie. Then he tells them of Abe's return and the condition Maggie and the twins were in when he found them.

"So, why does he look like something the cat dragged in?" Susan asks, pointing towards the tank.

"He was up most of the night taking care of the twins," Guillermo answers.

"By himself?" Peg questions, shocked.

"No, John helped him out," Guillermo replies. "John only looked slightly better when I sent him to bed before you came in. Unfortunately, Abe isn't supposed to be out of the water that long, it's bad for his health. Hopefully, after Maggie gets out of this funk she's in, things can get back to as normal as it can be around here."

"Who's taking care of her animals?" Susan inquires causing Guillermo to swear a few words in Spanish. "If you did what I think you did, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Sorry," Guillermo chuckles as he struggles to his feet. "But I have no idea if anyone is feeding Wizard or Magick and it would probably be very prudent to check. Don't you?"

The others agree and start to rise to follow Guillermo, unfortunately, that's exactly when Morgan starts to make her presence known. Selma immediately heads for the stairs and heads up.

"I saw bottles and formula in Maggie's room," she shouts down without missing a step.

A few minutes later she returns with a couple bottles already made, a can of formula and several diapers. The next half hour is spent feeding, burping and changing babies. When all of that is done, they follow Guillermo to the tunnel that connects the bureau to Maggie's place. The librarian knows he won't keep up, so he tells them what to do once they get to the other end.

Selma and Rupert nod that they understand and after leaving the twins with the great-grandmothers again, hurry down the hallway. A short while later they are opening the basement door and the first thing that hits them is the smell. Holding their breaths, they run through the house opening doors and windows to get some fresh air in.

It's not until they're done do they notice the cat yowling at them and staring at them with baleful yellow eyes. Selma quickly finds the cat's food in the kitchen while Rupert finds the overflowing litter box in the water closet. He takes it outside, finds the garbage can and dumps out the litter.

While he goes looking for cleaning supplies to clean the box, Selma heads out to the barn and finds a very angry horse locked in his stall. She sends calming energy to the animal while talking soothingly to him. After about a minute he calms down enough for her to near him and see that he's out of food and water.

She quickly remedies that problem and doesn't mind that the horse barely acknowledges her presence as he eats. She leaves him to eat for a bit and goes back to the house. By this time everyone else has arrived and Susan is staring in horror at the mess of Maggie's home. Selma just waves as she disappears into the family room.

"What is that horrible stench?" Susan gasps, quickly pulling out a lace hanky out of her pocket and covering her mouth and nose with it.

"Let's head outside and get some fresh air," Guillermo suggests and the two older women readily agree.

As they step into the bright sunlight, they blink rapidly and inhale deeply. Once their eyes have adjusted the women get their first look at the front of the house.

"Please tell me this is the guest house," Susan pleads in horror.

"Sorry, this is it," Guillermo happily states. "There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, a dining room, family room, kitchen, den and half bath downstairs. Just the way Maggie wanted it."

"But it's so tiny," Susan continues aghast.

"Like I said," Guillermo reiterates. "Just the way Maggie wanted it."

"Mother, the least of our worries right now is the size of Maggie's house," Rupert states as he comes by with a still damp litter box in his hands. "I don't suppose you know where Maggie keeps the spare kitty litter do you, Guillermo?"

"If it's not near where you found the box then I suggest the garage," Guillermo replies as the younger man heads back into the house after a few deep cleansing breaths and Guillermo starts to follow him.

"You aren't going back in there are you?" Susan asks a look of disgust on her face.

"The house isn't going to clean itself," Guillermo replies. "Why don't you ladies go around the side of the house and enjoy the garden out there. There's a bench under a huge willow tree next to a duck pond. It's very peaceful."

"Guillermo, take Dylan and go have a rest," Peg suggests as she walks up to the man. "You're leg must be killing you after that walk to get here."

"Normally I'd argue with you, but you're right, my leg is hurting," he sighs in disgust as he accepts the baby into his free arm. "But if you get tired, let me know and I'll take over."

"Sure," Peg smiles, having no intention of doing any such thing.

Peg disappears into the house as Guillermo leads Susan over to the bench he had mentioned earlier. They sit and watch the ducks, talking about nothing much, avoiding what's really on their minds and completely unaware of the time until the twins start to wake. Before either Susan or Guillermo can get up, Peg arrives with a laundry basket with a blanket on top of it.

"Selma and Rupert should be here soon," Peg states as puts down the laundry basket and spreads out the blanket. "I'm afraid we're going to have to rough it. All the real plates are in the dishwasher and it's still running."

Peg pulls out paper plates and lays them out on the blanket. Guillermo and Susan peek into the laundry basket and find it filled with sandwiches, fruit, drinks, diapers and bottles of formula. Susan snatches one of the baby bottles out of the basket and immediately sticks the nipple into Morgan's mouth. Just as Peg is finishing dividing out the food, Selma and Rupert arrive and take seats on the blanket next to Peg.

"Good heavens, Selma, why do you smell like something that got dragged through the garden after my gardener spread fertilizer?" Susan demands, her nose wrinkling with distaste.

"Probably because I just finished mucking out the horse's stall," Selma chuckles. "But don't worry; I did wash my hands before I came over."

"How is Magick doing?" Guillermo asks as he grabs the second baby bottle for Dylan.

"He's better now," Selma replies as she accepts a plate of food from her mother. "If I had to guess, I'd say he hasn't been fed for a couple days and who knows how long it's been since he's been given a proper work out. I might try riding him later if time permits."

"You aren't actually planning on getting on top of that black monstrosity, are you?" Susan asks in horror.

"That would pretty much be a requirement to riding him," Selma smiles just before she takes a bite of her sandwich.

"Trust me, Mother, Selma can make the nastiest horse into the sweetest animal imaginable," Rupert puts in as he pops a grape into his mouth.

"I remember Simon being able to calm the wildest foals," Peg reminisces. "He never 'broke' a horse and any horse he tamed never needed spurs or a crop to make it go. Fortunately, Steven has this same ability as does Selma. I'd hate to have to resort to the 'old fashion' way. It's just horrible how they normally break a horse."

"I know," Selma replies after swallowing. "I remember Dad taking Steven and me to another stable to look at some brood mares and they were breaking a horse when we got there. It was horrible what they did to that poor animal. Dad refused to have anything to do with that stable ever again. I believe the owners and the trainer were arrested a few years later for animal abuse."

"I remember that," Peg puts in. "He testified at the trial, too. One of the happiest days of his life was seeing those people go to jail."

"I am curious about something," Selma muses as she looks at her mother-in-law. "Why do you think Magick is a monstrosity? Andalusians are very sweet tempered horses."

"The breed may be but this one isn't," Susan huffs. "When he was a foal, a teenage boy with a mean streak a mile wide got hold of him while he was in trailer and beat the poor animal within an inch of his life."

"But how did they kid even get near him?" Selma asks in concern. "I can't imagine the owner would just let anyone near his horse, much less a black Andalusian. They're the rarest color of that breed."

"That was the truly sick part," Susan answers as she sits Morgan up and starts patting the baby's back. "The boy was the owner's son. He was upset that Daddy wasn't going to give him fancy new sports car for his sixteenth birthday, so he decided to take his anger out on his father's most prized possession."

"Magick," Selma states bitterly.

"Magick," Susan confirms with a nod. "It was a very interesting trial. The father didn't want to press charges against his son and he tried to get the whole thing swept under the rug. But the animal rights activists had other plans. By the time the whole mess was sorted out, the boy got two years in jail and five years probation, Magick was removed from his owner's care and since he was considered uncontrollable, he was to be destroyed. If Maggie hadn't shown up and proved that he could be handled, they would have shot the beast. As it is, no one else but Maggie can get near him."

"Well, that's not completely true," Selma smiles. "He didn't seem to mind me when I was grooming him. Of course that might be because I gave him carrots and apples every time he looked at me."

"Actually, Abe was the first person to ever be able to get near Magick after Maggie got him," Guillermo chuckles as he starts to burp Dylan. "Stunned her speechless according to Abe. He's sure that if she hadn't been in such a state of shock, he probably wouldn't have been able to Kiss her."

"Can't say as I'm overly happy with that," Rupert grumbles causing the others to snicker.

"So, who took care of Magick while Maggie was in California?" Selma asks.

"Abe's worked with Magick enough that other people that he's introduced to can handle him," Guillermo replies as Dylan lets out a huge belch causing the others to chuckle. "So the lady that Maggie hired could feed him, groom him, muck his stall and lunge line him, but she couldn't ride him. He doesn't let anyone but Maggie and Abe ride him. But somehow, I don't think that's going to be a problem for Selma."

"I'm curious about something," Peg chimes in as Selma smiles at Guillermo. "If the father didn't want anyone to know what his kid had done, how did the animal activists find out?"

"One of the ranch workers was the one who caught the boy in the act and went and told the father," Susan answers while Morgan lets out a sizable burp. "When it became apparent that no charges were going to be pressed against the son, the worker went to the press. He lost his job with Magick's original owner, but the newspapers got wind of it and he got about a dozen offers within the week. He ended up being a ranch manager with more than twice his previous salary."

"That's good to know," Peg sighs.

"Yes, it is," Susan agrees as Morgan lets out a little lady like burp. "Rupert, be a dear and take your granddaughter so that your mother may eat her lunch."

"Sure, Mother," Rupert gladly agrees as he stands and retrieves Morgan from Susan. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go look at the duckies."

Rupert walks to the water's edge and starts to point out and identify the ducks to his granddaughter. Selma stands, relieves Guillermo of Dylan and then joins her husband. The others relax and enjoy the rest of the meal and each other's company. The sunlight sparkling on the surface of the pond, the birds singing, the flowers blooming and a warm gentle breeze makes it a perfect moment until the earthquake and wind storm hit.

* * *

**Author's notes:** I'm so sorry this took so long. I made it pretty long so I hope I'm forgiven. More soon, I hope. 


	22. They're Gone

Maggie wakes with a throbbing headache and tear salt crusted on her eyelashes. She's exhausted emotionally as well as physically and it takes quite some time before she opens her eyes. When she finally gets the courage up to do so, the first thing she sees is the top of the play pen.

Her heart sinks with the knowledge that she has failed them. Those two perfect little beings deserve a better mother than she is. With a depressed sigh, she rolls over and tries to go back to sleep.

Despite her best efforts to slip back into unconsciousness, she can't sleep. Between her aching head and the pressing needs of her bladder, there is no way she can escape her reality into dreamland. With a groan, she climbs out of bed and heads for the bathroom.

She glances into the play pen as she walks past and is brought up short. On shaky legs, she steps up to the crib and looks into the empty play yard. A quick 'check' of the area shows that they're nowhere nearby and she barely manages to grab the side of the crib as her legs give out.

She can hear her heart is pounding in her ears and it feels like her lungs have forgotten how to work. Her entire body is trembling and tears pour down her face unheeded. She can't think, she can't move and she can barely breathe

She knows she's not worthy to be their mother but that didn't mean she wanted them taken away. She knows he said they wouldn't be removed, he said that he loved her and he said that he would help make her better. As she stares into the empty play yard, she knows only one thing now: he lied.

They

Are

_GONE!_

A scream rips from her throat as every ounce of her being goes into wanting to die. She continues screaming as she loses all control over her powers. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knows it's wrong to let her powers loose like that, but she doesn't care. They're gone and life isn't worth living without them.

* * *

Abe is forcefully woken up when the mental contact with Maggie rips him from sleep. He's disoriented for a few moments before he can grasp what is going on. As soon as he realizes what's up, he heads for the top of the tank and towards Maggie.

He fights his way to the surface and then struggles to the edge of the tank. The waves created by the earthquake slam him against side and he has to use his suction cups just to hold onto the moving floor. By the time he gets out, he's a bit bashed up. When he tries to stand up, he nearly gets thrown back into the water by the wind.

He crawls as quickly as he can into the bedroom where he finds her clinging to the side of the crib, screaming at the top of her lungs. With great difficulty, he drags himself over to her, thankful that the floor is tiled and he can use his suction cups on it. He tries to touch her mind as he struggles towards her, but she's so incoherent that she's completely unreachable.

By the time he reaches her, everything that's not nailed down has been blown against the walls of the room with the exception being the play yard. Even the queen sized bed has been pushed across the room against the wall at a strange angle and is partially blocking the small alcove next to the bathroom. This time he's prepared for her emotions, but even so a shiver runs down his spine at the intensity of them.

It takes him several tries, but he finally does manage to grab hold of Maggie's face with his hands. He latches on with the suction cups and forces his mind into hers. She screams even louder as she fights to get away, hitting, scratching and kicking, trying to break free and the port-a-crib goes skidding across the floor. He holds on for her life.

He stops almost all of the nerve pulses from her mind to her body, effectively paralyzing her but keeping her breathing and heartbeat regular. And even though she can't move, it doesn't stop her ability to move land and air and the earthquake and wind storm continue. He dives deeper into her mind trying to find the control to her power, but even he can't seem to find it. So instead he forces her into near unconsciousness until the automatic controls take over and the shaking and wind finally stop.

* * *

Without even thinking about it, Selma and Rupert counter the wild wind and uncontrolled earth around them, but are unable to completely counteract Maggie's power. Instead of even trying, they hold the babies to their chests and take off towards the house, making a sphere of calmness around themselves so that their way is unimpeded. They don't even check on the others as they race past.

They charge through the house, ignoring the sound of items falling and breaking. Then they're down into the basement, through the hidden door and running full out down the long corridor with Selma doing her best to shorten the distance. By the time they reach the bureau, they're both out of breath, their legs are shaking from the effort and their arms feel like they're about to fall off. By some grace of the heavens, Hellboy is stumbling his way down the hall just as the lights go out and the emergency generators kick in a few seconds later, turning on the emergency lighting when they do.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Hellboy shouts just as the rumbling and wind stops.

"It's Maggie!" Rupert gasps back as he stops and leans against a wall.

"We need to get to her!" Selma pants, barely able to stand.

Without a word, Hellboy picks Rupert up in his right arm and then Selma up into his left. It's awkward and cumbersome, but at least they're all moving. When they enter the library, Hellboy doesn't even stop to stare at the carnage of his father's pride and joy. He steps up to the spiral staircase and places them on the ground.

With a mumbled thanks from the both of them, they head up the stairs as fast as they can, Hellboy bringing up the rear. By the time they reach the top of the steps, the muscles in their legs are screaming in pain, their lungs are burning and their hearts feel like they're about to burst. When they pass through the remains of the door to Abe's tank room, they can hear Abe talking calmly to Maggie as she whimpers in response while first Dylan and then Morgan start to whimper in distress.

They stumble into the room and find Abe and Maggie on the floor. She's lying curled up into a ball with her head in his lap and he's gently stroking her hair as he speaks quietly to her. As soon as Abe sees Rupert and Selma with the babies, he pulls his hands away while Maggie turns to look at them. She quickly scrambles away from him and towards her parents. Her face is blotchy, her eyes are bloodshot and there are bright red circular welts down the sides of her face. As soon as she reaches her parents, she nearly snatches the babies from them, never getting up past her knees.

She collapses back down to the ground with the now crying babies clutched to her breast as tears of relief course down her face. Abe crawls over to her and wraps his arms around them. She turns towards him and they sit there, huddled together on the floor as Rupert finds a chair first for his wife and then one for him. By the time the stitches in Selma's and Rupert's sides fade and their breathing and heart rates have returned to normal, Maggie turns to look at them with a grateful look in her eyes.

"How did you get them back?" she asks as she repositions the now calm but wide awake babies in her arms.

"Back?" Selma counter questions in confusion.

"From Manning," Abe clarifies. "How did you get them back from Manning?"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry," Selma sobs as soon as she realizes why Maggie was so upset, dropping to her knees next to her daughter, she reaches out and starts to stroke Maggie's wind blown hair. "Your father and I took them. We didn't want them to disturb you when they woke up and then Susan asked who was taking care of your animals and so we went to check on them and the house was such a mess we just couldn't leave it that way. Oh god, baby, I'm so sorry."

"You took them?" Maggie inquires in a small voice, not wanting to believe it.

"We weren't taking them away, honey," Rupert tells her as he slides down onto the floor next to his wife. "We were just going to check on the animals and come right back."

"But the house was such a mess, we couldn't just leave it that way," Selma repeats.

"You are not a bad mother, home owner or pet owner," Abe interjects, instantly catching onto her thoughts as she starts to slide back into a deep depression. "You were overwhelmed with the responsibility. Everything's fine now. The house is fine and Magick and Wizard are alright too. You are not a failure."

"But…," Maggie starts, turning towards him.

"'But' nothing, young lady," Selma sternly interrupts as she grabs her daughter's chin in her hand and forces Maggie to look at her. "You are not Super Girl or Wonder Woman. You can't do everything and no one was expecting you to. When you came back out here I thought you'd ask for help from the others. If I'd known you were going to try and do it all by yourself, I would never have allowed you to come back here alone. And since it's not likely that you'll be coming out west again any time soon, your father and I are moving out here."

"But your home is in California," Maggie sniffs.

"There's a house in California," Selma corrects finally releasing Maggie's face. "But you and the twins are here. I have spent the past twenty-three plus years wondering if I'd ever see you again. I don't give a fig about some house. What I care about is you and them."

"But Daddy built you that house," Maggie insists.

"So, I'll build her another one," Rupert tells her. "It's just a building, Maggie. A thing. It doesn't mean anything to us. You and your family are what are important to us. You got that, young lady?"

"Yes, Daddy," Maggie replies meekly with a small smile.

"Good," Rupert states with a nod. "Now, can we please get off of this floor? I'm freezing my butt off here."

"Daddy!" Maggie exclaims with a surprised laugh.

"Well I am," he grouses as he struggles to his feet.

As soon as he's back on his feet, he helps Selma to hers. They then carefully take the drowsy twins from their mother as Abe helps Maggie to her feet. As soon as she's steady, Abe goes over to the bed and shoves it back into place while Maggie finally makes use of the bathroom.

Soon Maggie is settled back on the bed and Abe takes up his position next to her. At first she doesn't want to take the twins back, but her parents just dump them in her lap. Then her parents take up spots on the foot of the bed and they start to make plans for Rupert and Selma's move to the East Coast just when Dr. Hodson comes bursting into the room.

* * *

Hellboy quietly follows Maggie's parents up the spiral staircase. He's barely controlling his anger as he gets a bird's eye view of the mess of his father's library. He just manages to control himself enough to not slam his tail into the central post or staircase railing or bend the railing with his right hand.

He watches passively as Selma and Rupert enter Maggie's bedroom and observes as Maggie eagerly reclaims her children. He's confused by her actions but that doesn't change his mood any as her parents end up on the floor next to her, Abe and the twins. He's about to open his mouth and demand answers when he's brought up short.

_Don't,_ Abe thinks at him.

_Why not?_ Hellboy thinks back, knowing Abe will hear him.

_She's upset enough,_ Abe replies as he looks up at his old friend._ I don't need you making it worse._

_What the hell is going on?_ Hellboy snarls in his mind.

_She's sick,_ Abe responds.

_Sick how?_ Hellboy demands.

_She has postpartum depression,_ Abe answers shifting uncomfortably. _Would you please bring me my respirator?_

Hellboy steps back into the tank room and looks around at the mess in there trying to find the respirator. The neatly stacked towels are blown all over the place, the table is floating in the water and the chair is nowhere to be seen. Hellboy doesn't see the device he's looking for plugged into it's charger on the shelf. In fact, even the charger is missing. After looking for about a minute, he finds it under some towels.

_Sorry, buddy, but your wife's tantrum destroyed you respirator,_ Hellboy states, still not happy with the mess that was created.

_In that case, could you get my spare out of the truck please? _Abe requests.

"Sure, fine," Hellboy rumbles deep in his throat just before he leaves.

_Thank you,_ Abe says as Hellboy starts to descend the stairs.

Grumbling all the way, Hellboy stomps down the steps, carefully steps over books and papers and exits the library in a right snit. He thumps his way down the hall, red emergency lights glow, barely giving him adequate illumination for his trek. As he continues his journey, he passes Dr. Hodson in the hallway looking flustered and upset.

"What's up, Doc?" Hellboy asks, unable to resist.

"My blood pressure," Hodson grumbles. "They just finally got the doors to the infirmary open. Do you know how clear the way to the library is?"

"It's clear enough, there's a few things in the way, but nothing major," he answers with a shrug. "Just watch out for the papers and books on the floor when you go in."

"You've been in there?" she asks in surprise.

"Yeah, took Maggie's parent's to her," he replies.

"Are she and the twins alright?" she inquires eagerly.

"They seemed fine to me," he responds with another shrug. "They were having a family hug fest when I left."

"Maggie's touching the twins?" she excitedly demands.

"Well, yeah," he says, confused. "Why wouldn't she be?"

But he doesn't get an answer as she goes flying down the hall, her white lab coat wildly flapping like a pair of strange wings. With a shake of his head he turns and continues his trip to the garage. Within moments Guillermo comes around the corner.

"Do yourself a favor and don't go in there," Hellboy warns him.

"That bad?" Guillermo questions.

"Worse," Hellboy replies before he continues walking.

"Mierda," Hellboy hears Guillermo mumble just before Hellboy turns a corner.

Hellboy chuckles to himself as he continues on. A while later finds him returning to the library with the respirator. Upon finding Maggie's grandmothers headed in that direction, he hands the device off to them and then goes off to offer what help he can around the bureau. When he finally returns to his room hours later, he finds the power has been restored; Liz has cleaned up the room and is now playing with Trevor on the bed.

"Hey, beautiful," he greets as he climbs into the bed with them, causing the shocks to groan in protest. "How ya doin'?"

"We're good," she replies as Trevor manages to grab his own tail and fall over backwards, giggling hysterically. "The cats are finally recovering. I got the place cleaned up a bit. I'm glad everything heavy around here is bolted to the walls. Any idea what's up with Maggie?"

"Abe said she's sick," he answers as he starts to tickle his son. "She's got something called postpartuam depression, whatever that is."

"Postpartum depression," she automatically corrects. "Did he say how bad she has it?"

"Naw, he just didn't want me to upset her," he responds as Trevor grabs his father's hand and tries to drag it to his mouth. "Oh, no you don't, you little shark. You've got sharp little teeth in that mouth."

"Hey, Red," John calls from the door. "Ready for dinner?"

"You better believe it, Boy Scout," Hellboy happily replies. "Where've ya been, Squirt?"

"I've spent the past few hours cleaning up like everyone else," John answers as he pushes the first cart of steaks into the room.

"Was anyone hurt?" Liz asks.

"A few concussions and a couple broken bones, nothing major," John responds as he unloads the platters onto the table.

"Have you seen Maggie?" Liz inquires.

"Not since this morning," John replies while pushing the now empty cart out of the room.

"How bad is she?" Liz questions when John returns with the next cart.

"Um, I really don't know," John answers jumpily, quickly transferring bowls and plates to the table.

Liz and Hellboy watch as the agent tries to hurry through his duties, obviously nervous about something. Liz looks at Hellboy and he knows that look, so he gets off the bed and heads for the door. Before John can make his escape, Hellboy closes the door and blocks the way.

"Um, excuse me, Red, I need to get these carts back to the kitchen," John states, trying to hide his worry.

"How bad is she, Squirt?" Hellboy growls as Liz steps up behind John with Trevor in her arms.

"I-I-I-I'm not at liberty to say," John stammers nervously.

"John, we wouldn't ask if we weren't worried about her," Liz assures him.

"I'm not getting out of here until I answer, am I?" John meekly asks after several seconds of silence.

"Afraid not, kid," Hellboy replies as he crosses his arms over his massive chest and leans against the door.

With a resigned sigh, John tells them about Abe finding Maggie and her attempt to take her own life, how Abe kept her asleep as he and Abe took care of the twins all night and how Guillermo called her family in to help. When he's done, the silence stretches out for something shy of eternity while Hellboy and Liz absorb what they've been told. Eventually, Hellboy opens the door and John makes good his escape, leaving the couple to mull things over. As Red shuts the door, Liz sinks down in the nearest chair and starts to cry, pulling Trevor closer to her.

"Hey, Sparky, what's wrong?" he asks in concern as he kneels down beside her.

"It's my fault," she sobs when she finally answers. "Maggie's sick because of me."

* * *

The instant the earthquake and wind storm start, Guillermo and Susan stop eating and concentrate on countering Maggie's powers. While they are not able to stop her completely, they are able to lessen the damage caused by her. After what seems like hours later, everything becomes calm again and the two Mages sit there trying to get their bearings back.

"Wow," Peg gasps after finally collecting her wits. "I've never been in an earthquake that's lasted that long. And what was with the wind?"

"That was Maggie," Susan softly replies.

"She lost control of her powers again," Guillermo adds as he struggles to his feet. "I need to check the library."

Guillermo makes his exit as fast as he can with the women following him. He passes through the house without a glance at the damage that's been done, but Peg notices. Without a word, she goes in search of the shut off valves for the water and gas, but doesn't bother with the electricity since the power is obviously out. Peg spends several minutes mopping up water that's escaped from the dishwasher before she continues down the stairs into the basement where she finds Susan waiting for her just on the other side of the hidden door.

"Where'd you disappear to?" Susan asks as they start to walk.

"I turned off the gas and water and then mopped up the water that leaked out of the dishwasher," Peg explains.

"Oh, good heavens, I would never have thought to do that," Susan states. "I'm not sure what we would do without you, Peg. You always seem to be so cool, calm and collected when there's a disaster going on. How do you do it?"

"I raised four boys," Peg replies. "Natural disasters have nothing on the destructive capabilities of boys on a mission."

"My goodness, I had no idea that large brood at Rupert and Selma's welcome home party was all yours," Susan gasps.

"Not all of them, but most of them are my kids and their families," Peg responds just has Hellboy catches up with them.

After taking the respirator, they continue on their journey to the library. Once they step through the door, they're met by some very creative swearing in Spanish. Before Susan has a chance to start berating the distraught librarian, Peg hands her to respirator and sends her upstairs. After checking that Guillermo is calming down, she helps him start to pick up the mess that was once the library. Things are going fine for a while until she starts to clean up near the tank windows.

* * *

"You're holding them!" Hodson exclaims. "That's wonderful!"

"I still don't think I deserve them," Maggie mumbles as she leans into Abe.

"Maggie, just getting you to accept them again is a major step towards recovery," Hodson happily replies. "Just keep taking your medication and everything will continue to get better. Now, is there anyone in need of medical assistance up here?"

"No, doctor, we're all fine," Abe replies, wondering where Hellboy is with his respirator.

"Good, then I'm going to go check on Liz and Trevor before seeing where else they need my help," Hodson states just before she turns around and heads out the door.

Hodson exits the library as Guillermo is about to enter. After checking that he's ok, she heads off towards Hellboy's room where she's fairly sure she'll find Liz. With great trepidation, Guillermo steps through the door into the library and all but has a heart attack.

Hellboy wasn't kidding. The place is an absolute disaster area. Guillermo gingerly steps into the room, mindful of the papers, books and artifacts strewn about the floor and gets a good look around.

Not a single book remains on any of the shelves and loose papers have been blown everywhere. The computer on his desk has crashed to the ground and is lying there in about a million pieces. The only good news is that the statue by the gold doors didn't fall over and the wind blew out the fire in the brazier before anything could catch on fire.

He's furious that he's going to have to clean up this mess, quite possibly by himself, but he knows that if Maggie hears him it'll probably create even more problems for her. With that in mind, he starts picking books as best he can while venting his frustrations by swearing rather heatedly in his native tongue. Several minutes pass like this and as he's reaching the end of his anger and frustration, Susan and Peg step into the room.

They look around in horror briefly, though he barely notices, before Peg sends Susan upstairs. When he sees Peg helping him, his ire cools even more and he stops swearing. They don't talk as they each work on clearing an area. Shortly after Peg works her way over to the windows of Abe's tank, she stops and examines the floor and then the wall very carefully.

"Guillermo, do you know how to drain the water from Abe's tank?" she asks clear out of the blue.

"Not a clue, my dear," he answers in confusion. "Why?"

Instead of replying, she heads upstairs as quickly as she can. She gets to Maggie's bedroom completely out of breath and staggers into the room, clutching the stitch in her side. Before she can get her wind back, Abe is out of the bed and across the room in a heartbeat.

He tears down the stairs and through the library, seemingly heedlessly, though he doesn't step on a single book or piece of paper. He navigates to a corner of the library that nobody goes into and yanks open the door leading to the equipment room to his tank. Instead of the constant hum of the filter and aeration systems going, it's completely silent and pitch black inside the room.

Abe doesn't need the light as he heads over to a large valve on the wall and starts to open it. It doesn't want to turn at first, but after a few moments struggling with it, it starts to move. He opens the valve completely and listens to the water rushing through the pipe only for it to stop a second later. A hand on the wall and he has his answer.

A moment later he's across the library and up the steps again. He strips off his respirator and only just manages to shove it into the arms of the first body that presents itself mere seconds before he's diving into the water. He heads straight to the bottom and finds the drain clogged with several towels and the metal and plastic chair that usually lives in his tank room.

With some difficulty he gets the chair out of the drain and quickly gets it out of the water. He returns to the bottom of the tank and grabs hold of the towels and with a great big heave, drags them out of the drain as well. A second later, he realizes he forgot to shut the valve before diving in and unfortunately, not even he can escape the pull of the suction. He quickly finds himself wedged into the hole, unable to get out.

_Guillermo, would you please close the drain valve,_ Abe urgently requests, pain tingeing his thoughts as he shows Guillermo the valve in question.

After what seems like days, the pressure slowly releases him from the drain and Abe slowly makes his way to the top of the tank, towels still in hand. After checking to make sure everything is in working order, he tosses the towels onto the floor and then uses the ladder to get out of the water. After retrieving his respirator, he puts it back on as he makes his way back to the equipment room where he finds Guillermo standing outside the door.

"Please go to my tank window and let me know when the water gets below the bottom of the glass," Abe says as he steps into the room once more.

Abe opens the valve once more and this time the water gushes through the pipe with no problems. About half an hour later, Guillermo gives the word and Abe shuts the valve. Abe slowly limps out of the equipment room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He walks over to the librarian and finds him comforting Maggie as the others look on.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Susan complains. "Why did Abe just drain most of the water from his tank and why is Maggie crying this time?"

"It's my fault," Maggie sobs while Guillermo makes shushing sounds as Abe steps up to them and lays his hands on her.

"The earthquake broke the seal on the glass of my tank causing a leak," Abe explains as he strokes his wife's hair. "Given enough time, the pressure would have caused the window to shatter."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Once again, sorry about the delay, but it's another long chapter, so I hope I'm forgiven. 


	23. It's Perfect

Hours later, only a small fraction of the books have been picked up, though nothing has been put away. Guillermo is slowly shifting through the stacks of picked up books as Rupert, Selma, Peg and even Susan gather the tomes up and place them either on carts or in boxes for later sorting. Abe and Maggie had been helping, but with the twins waking up, Abe insisted that she at least try to nurse them and so they're both back upstairs when Manning walks in. He takes a quick look around and scowls.

"Where is she?" Manning demands. "And why is the tank mostly drained?"

"She's feeding the twins," Selma calmly replies as she puts the latest pile of books she was collecting on a cart before going to stand at the foot of the stairs.

"The earthquake broke a seal on Abe's tank so it had to be partially drained to prevent the glass from breaking," Rupert explains as he joins his wife.

"I let her come down here because Hodson said she needed help," Manning heatedly states. "If I knew she was going to pull this stunt, I would never have allowed it."

"So, you would have left her to commit suicide?" Peg asks as she takes up a position near her daughter.

"And the twins to starve to death?" Susan adds as she stands near Peg.

"No, of course not!" Manning replies in horror. "But I want to know her reasoning behind trying to destroy this place."

"I'm afraid that was mostly our fault," Selma sheepishly admits. "We took the twins up to the house and when she woke up and found them missing…well…I'm afraid she lost it."

"Lost it?" Manning nearly shrieks. "Is that what you call it? Do you have any idea how much damage she's done?"

"Actually, yes I do," Selma answers sadly. "She wants to help fix what she's damaged, but she needs her rest first. She's exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just leave her alone for now, please."

"No, now I need to talk to Abe about his tank," Manning growls, waving an arm wildly towards the aforementioned aquarium. "We're going to have to figure out what to do with him until it's fixed."

"I don't think you're going to convince him to leave Maggie," Rupert warns.

"I wasn't planning on it," Manning sighs. "But that bathtub is only going to do him so much good and only for a short while. He needs salt water to survive. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go up there."

"No," Rupert states as he tries to block the bottom of the stairs with his thin frame.

"Listen, I'm the director of this little circus and I'll damn well go anywhere I please," Manning snarls as Selma, Peg and Susan go and close ranks next to Rupert.

"Perhaps, Dr. Manning, if you could offer some sort assurance that you won't upset Maggie," Guillermo suggests from where he's sitting at his desk. "Then they will let you pass."

"What do you want?" Manning asks impatiently. "You want my word? Fine. I give you my word that I won't upset Mrs. Sapien."

"Not acceptable," Peg replies, her chin held high.

"Then what do you want?" Manning nearly shouts.

"A promise is all that we require," Susan answers serenely.

"Fine," Manning grumbles. "I _promise_ not to upset Mrs. Sapien."

Manning isn't expecting the slight tremor that shakes the room or the gentle breeze that ruffles the loose papers lying around. As the Power of the promise wraps itself around him and the three Mages standing in front of him, even Manning can't fail to feel it. The look of shock and surprise on his face is rather gratifying to Maggie's relatives as they part so the director can go upstairs.

Casting nervous glances at the four people he just made a promise too, he quickly slips past them and all but runs up the stairs. He reaches the top of the stairs out of breath and he stops to rest for a moment until he notices Maggie's family following him up at a rather sedate pace. Wanting to put as much distance between himself and them he steps up to Abe's door and raps on it as fast as he can.

* * *

"You are not a failure as a mother," Abe states for what feels to be the millionth time. "You're a good mother."

"But I can't even feed them any more," she whimpers as Dylan looks at her in confusion while sucking down the formula in the bottle.

"Not yet you can't," he replies as he feeds Morgan. "But you did nurse them for five minutes each. That's much better than the one minute that you were able to produce last night. Your milk will return, Dr. Hodson said so. Has she been wrong yet?"

"No," she grumbles as she squirms around in bed, trying to get more comfortable.

"Then trust the doctor," he states from his spot next to her on the bed.

She doesn't answer him, but just slumps against the headboard. He concentrates on his daughter, fighting the frustration building up inside of him. He wants to shake her, yell at her and tell her to 'snap out of it.' But he knows that that will only make things worse, not better.

Several minutes later, the babies are fed and burped and Abe slides off of the bed and heads for the pile of diapers on the table. He grabs two and then returns to the bed, slipping back into place next to his wife without a word. He hands one of the diapers over and begins to change Morgan's diaper.

When she doesn't make any moves to do the same to Dylan, he looks over at her. She's trembling as she stares at the diaper, unable to move. He picks up brief images of wailing, squirming, half naked babies and of her losing her temper. It shakes him to the core while Dylan picks up on his mother's distress and starts to whimper.

"You can do it, Maggie," Abe tries to assure her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Face your fears."

"NO!" she half screams half wails. "I can't do it!"

She shoves Dylan into his arms and launches herself off of the bed and then disappears into the bathroom a split second later. He stares at the closed door as the sound of sobbing filters into the bedroom. He closes both sets of eyelids for a few seconds as he regains his composure and calms down.

After getting Dylan settled back down, he quickly finishes changing Morgan and then does her brother. Once that's completed, he picks them up with the intention of placing them in the play pen and then going in to check on Maggie. But before he can accomplish this, someone knocks at the outer door. A quick 'check' lets him know it's Manning and he lets out a low groan involuntarily.

"Come in!" Abe calls out and turns to face the director as he steps through the door, the babies still in their father's arms.

"Is she around?" Manning asks, nervously looking around.

"She's in the bathroom," Abe answers with a head tilt just before his eyes get larger. "You made a promise to them?"

"They made me," Manning grumbles, looking a bit relieved. "They wouldn't let me up here until I promised that I wouldn't upset your wife. How long do you think she'll be in there?"

"I don't know," Abe replies, feeling old for the first time that he can remember. "She's crying again."

"What about this time?" Selma asks as she steps through the door.

"I tried to make her change Dylan's diaper," Abe states. "I got a lot of disturbing images before she locked herself in the bathroom."

"Have you tried going in there?" Selma inquires as she squeezes past Manning and Abe.

"I was about to just before Dr. Manning knocked on the door," Abe responds.

"Would you like me to go in?" Selma questions, silently noting Abe's poor color.

"Would you please?" Abe responds, much relieved.

"Of course," Selma replies with an understanding smile.

"When you're in there, see if you can get her to take her medicine," Abe requests. "It's on the counter next to the sink."

"Sure thing," Selma responds as she steps up to the bathroom door, opening the previously locked door without a problem.

Selma quietly shuts the door behind her and idly notes that Maggie has wedged herself between the wall and the toilet. Without a word, Selma finds a cup, fills it with water, gets a pill out of the bottle after reading the directions and then heads over to her daughter. Selma kneels down in front of Maggie and Maggie finally looks up at her with a tear stained face.

"Manning's here to take the babies, isn't he?" Maggie asks listlessly. "I can't blame him. I'm a horrible mother and I nearly destroyed the place."

"Take your medicine, Maggie," Selma gently instructs as she hands the cup and pill over and then watches intently as Maggie downs the capsule. "Manning only wants to talk to Abe about the tank."

With a heart wrenching moan, Maggie drops her head back down onto her knees and starts crying again. Selma retrieves the cup and places it off to the side before pulling her daughter towards her. After some readjusting, Maggie ends up with her head in her mother's lap while Selma strokes her hair.

"It's going to be alright, baby girl," the older woman whispers as the leg of her pants gets wet with tears. "It's going to be alright."

* * *

Abe watches Selma disappear through the bathroom door and then continues to stare at the closed portal for a good minute before handing the babies off to their great-grandmothers. After a brief flurry of clearing off a chair, Abe offers Manning a seat before cleaning and taking a spot himself. Ignoring the mess of bottles and formula, Manning launches into what now needs to be done for Abe's wellbeing.

The rest of Maggie's family heads back downstairs as Abe and Manning spend nearly an hour talking about what Abe will need and how best to achieve it. Several ideas are thrown around until one is settled on and plans are made for its implementation. Just as they're finishing up, Peg and Rupert return with the waking twins. Abe takes a quick look around and groans when he realizes there are no clean bottles again.

"Oh dear," Abe sighs as he picks up one of the bottles. "I'm afraid I'll need to ask Dr. Hodson where she got these."

"Why don't you just clean them in the sink?" Manning asks, perplexed.

"For one, I have no dish soap," Abe answers, looking at the director. "And two, I hardly think the bathroom sink is the most sanitary place to clean the bottles."

"Who said anything about using the bathroom sink?" Manning inquires, really confused now. "I'm talking about the kitchen sink."

"I really don't think the twins will wait for me to go all the way down to the kitchens to get the bottles cleaned," Abe replies. "Besides, I believe the cooks tend get a tad cranky if people just come wandering into the kitchens."

"I wasn't talking about that kitchen," Manning responds, now exasperated. "I was talking about your kitchen."

Abe stares at Manning with his head tilted to the side for a moment and then his eyes open really wide. He nearly leaps out of his chair and shoots across the room to the small alcove next to the bathroom. He glances briefly into the area before charging into the bathroom.

He barely registers the fact that Maggie is lying on the floor with her head in her mother's lap as he quickly crosses the room. He barely stops in time before he drops down to his knees. Maggie only looks up at him when he starts to pull her into his arms.

"So, Manning's taken the twins and you've come to comfort me," she states in a dead voice.

"No, Manning hasn't taken the twins and I'm not here to comfort you," he happily replies as he gets her securely into his arms. "I'm going to show you what Manning had made for us."

Before she can say anything, he stands up and carries her out of the bathroom. When he reenters the bedroom, Susan is there looking a bit flustered.

"What is going on?" Susan demands of Rupert. "Why did you call me up here?"

"Follow me," Abe instructs as he heads for the alcove again.

"Where did that door come from?" Maggie asks after Abe steps into the secluded spot, staring at the door on the far side. "What's on the other side?"

"Open it and find out," Abe urges as he sets her feet first onto the floor.

She hesitantly steps towards the door, slowly reaches for it and before she touches it, looks back over her shoulder at Abe. He smiles and nods encouragingly to her. Too exhausted to use her powers to 'check' what's on the other side, she hesitantly reaches for the door handle and then slowly turns the knob.

With a shaking hand, she pushes the door open and stares into darkness. Abe quietly steps up behind her, reaches around her, finds the light switch on the wall and flips it. As the lights flood the room her breath catches in her throat. She can feel her eyes grow very wide while her hand covers her mouth in surprise as she gapes in pure wonder.

She slowly walks into a room that's about twenty feet by thirty feet that is a combination family room, dining room and kitchen. Abe gently pushes her farther in so that the others can get through the door as well. Manning brings up the rear and watches a bit nervously as Abe, Maggie and her family spread out throughout the room.

The kitchen is closest and the first area to be explored. It's not a very big kitchen, but it has all the essential appliances and the cabinets are stocked with spices, dishes, pots and pans and dry goods while cooking and eating utensils are found in the drawers. The refrigerator is on, but the only things in it are ice cubes in the tray under the maker.

Next it's onto the dining room which consists of a round oak table with four chairs around it. It's Selma who pulls the two halves of the table apart to find the spare leaf folded up inside of it.

Finally they move onto the family room area. There's a love seat and an over stuffed chair with ottoman facing an entertainment center that contains what looks to be a thirty-two inch screen TV, a DVD/VCR combination machine, a Tivo and a small stereo system. Off to the side is a very large bookcase that's empty.

It's only after examining the bookcase that Maggie notices the doors. She opens the first one and it's a closet. The second one reveals a bathroom complete with towels and all the necessary toiletries. The third reveals a large nursery with a crib, glider rocker with a glider footrest and a combination changing table dresser. There's even a stack of diapers waiting to be used along with wipes and baby powder. The final door leads out to the hallway that goes to the spiral staircase. After shutting the last door, Maggie turns towards Manning with confusion written across her face.

"What is this?" she asks.

"It's your apartment," Manning answers. "I had it built for you and the kids. I figured you wouldn't always be up at the house so I thought this might do for those times you don't want to go back up there."

"She and the babies are supposed to live here?" Susan butts in, a look of horror on her face. "This will never do. It's much too small. There are no windows. How are the babies to get fresh air with no windows? And the lighting in here…"

"It's perfect," Maggie interrupts, looking Manning straight in the eye. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replies.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Hey, what do you know? I'm still alive. Sorry about the long wait. Sometimes it sucks being a responsible adult. grin Well, enjoy and at some point I will finish this story. 


	24. Settling In

"So, did she like it?" Guillermo asks without looking up from his sorting as Manning steps off of the stairs.

"She said it was perfect," Manning answers, still in a bit of shock. "Thank you for your advice on the matter. How did you know that she'd like something that small?"

"After her parents disappeared, she had a nightmare where she was wandering through never ending hallways looking for them," Guillermo replies, finally looking at the director. "Ever since then, she's not really liked houses with really long hallways. Living with her grandparents about drove her nuts. That's why the house she built is so much smaller than the place she was living in."

"That does explain a lot," Manning nods as he starts to head towards the door. "It's almost dinner time. Would you like me to have the kitchen send something down?"

"No, I'm good, gracias," Guillermo smiles as he starts going through the stack of books in front of him again.

"Very well, good night then," Manning says as he starts to push the door open.

"Good night," Guillermo responds as Manning exits.

A few minutes later, Selma and Rupert drag themselves downstairs, looking a bit worse for the wear.

"Well, don't you two look like something the cat dragged in," Guillermo jokes as he leans back in his chair. "Have a seat. Take a load off."

"We can't," Selma wearily replies. "We need to check on Wizard and Magick and then we need to bring back some fresh food. All that's up there is dry and canned goods. We can't make a decent meal out of that."

"In that case, let me call someone to come and help you," Guillermo offers as he picks up his phone. "The great thing about this place is there are plenty of young strong backs to help out."

"That would be great," Rupert agrees as he and Selma reach the doors. "Thanks, Guillermo."

"De nada," Guillermo grins as they leave and the person on the other end picks up.

* * *

A while later, Selma and Rupert turn down the hallway that leads to Maggie's and find an agent waiting for them. After a few pleasantries, Maggie's parents and Agent Slate make their way up to the house. When they open the basement door, they're greeted by Wizard who's sitting in the middle of the hallway, tail twitching and glaring at them.

"Does that cat do anything but scowl?" Rupert asks.

"Well, put yourself in his paws," Selma suggests as she picks the cat up and starts petting him. "You're owner's been missing for months, then she comes back with a couple wailing things that takes all of her attention away from you and to top it off you haven't been fed regularly for a couple days. How would you feel?"

"Pretty grumpy," Rupert admits as he reaches over and scratches the cat's ears. "What are we going to do with him?"

"Well, for now, let's leave him up here," she replies as she heads for the kitchen, the men trailing behind. "I don't want to be too far from Maggie right now, so I thought we'd stay up here for a while."

"You want to sleep in the bed Maggie and Abe have been…?" he tries to ask.

"Sure. Why not?" she responds with a shrug. "What do you think they were doing in the bed in the master bedroom back in California before we were found? Playing Tiddledy Winks?"

Rupert stops dead in his tracks and stands there with a look of shock and revolt on his face. Agent Slate simply slips past him and starts to look through the cupboards until he finds what he's looking for. He pulls out a plastic shopping bag filled with more plastic shopping bags and puts them on the counter.

"What do you want me to carry?" Slate asks as he starts to pull bags out.

"Thank you for the reminder, Agent Slate," Selma smiles as she puts the cat down. "We came up here to get the fixings for dinner. Not to discuss my daughter's bedroom activities. Rupert, please turn on the light."

"Uh oh," Rupert mumbles as he looks towards the switch. "The light's already on."

"Great, the power's still out up here," Selma grumbles as she opens the fridge door. "That being the case, we'll need to empty everything out and bring it down with us."

"I'll call for back up," Slate states, looking around Selma and noting the full appliance as he pulls out his cell phone.

Selma starts pulling food out of the refrigerator as Rupert begins putting it into the bags with Slate joining in as soon as he's done with his call. They're only about half way through when several more agents arrive. Without a word, they start taking filled bags and head for the basement.

Soon the food is loaded up and headed for the library. Agent Slate follows the last of his coworkers with Rupert trailing behind him. Rupert stops at the basement door when he notices Selma isn't behind him. When he turns around, he sees that she's going out the front door.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"I want to get Magick settled in for the night," she answers. "I'll be down there in a bit. Don't start dinner without me."

Before he can say anything, she's out the door and headed for the barn. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Rupert turns back around and follows the agents back to the bureau.

It takes him longer than he thought it would, but he finally catches up with the two agents that are pushing the carts loaded with the groceries. He follows in silence until they reach the library. Once there, he helps the agents start to unload the cart and haul the food up the tight winding staircase.

Once inside, they find Guillermo has made his way up the stairs and is happily chatting away with Peg and Susan as Abe and Maggie quietly cuddle on the couch with the twins. Rupert silently notices the bags under her eyes and her sad expression. Worried about her, he begins to head to the new family only to be warned off by a shake of the head from Abe.

A bit hurt and a lot confused, Rupert changes direction again and finally gets his bags to the kitchen. Peg is already unloading the bags the agents brought up when he places the bags on the counter. She quickly starts loading up the refrigerator as the agents and Rupert leave only to return a few minutes later with more bags.

"Good heavens, Rupert, sit down," Susan orders when she notices her son looks like he's about to fall on his face.

"We can take it from here, sir," Slate tells the exhausted man and all Rupert can do is nod as he collapses into a nearby chair.

The agents continue to march in and out of the apartment until the last of the bags has been delivered. Peg swiftly empties the bags and puts them in their appropriate places in the fridge. Guillermo and Susan talk softly as Rupert watches his daughter and feels completely helpless in her hour of need.

"Where's Mom?" Maggie quietly asks and immediately tries to sink further down into the couch.

"She was going to bring Magick in, but I'm not sure what's taking her so long," Rupert answers, finally noticing that his wife hasn't returned.

"She turned him out into the paddock?" Maggie inquires in worried voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Rupert confirms, a bit confused.

"Oh dear," Abe sighs and quickly continues at the puzzled looks he gets. "I'm afraid Magick tends to want to play if he's been cooped up for a long time. He will not come in easily."

"Great," Rupert grumbles. "What do we do now? Selma said not to start dinner without her and if Magick's wanting to play hard to get, then we may not be eating until midnight."

"There are food and water troughs in the paddock," Abe tells him. "All she needs to do is make sure they're full and Magick will be fine for the night."

"I guess I better go tell her then," Rupert groans as he gets ready to stand up.

"I know you and Selma were stranded on that island for some time, so maybe you forgot about this wonderful little invention called the telephone," Guillermo comments as he stands up and heads for the kitchen. "You can do all sorts of neat and interesting things with it."

With that, Guillermo picks up the hand set and dials a number.

"Hola, John," Guillermo greets a few seconds later. "Would you be a good lad and go up to Maggie's house? It seems her mother is trying to catch Magick and he's in one of his moods. Just tell her to put water and food into the troughs and he'll be good for the night…That's a good lad, gracias."

With that, the librarian hangs up the phone with a smug smirk on his face and looking very proud of himself. Rupert just chuckles and shakes his head as he settles back into his seat.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Rupert asks with a smile.

"Oh, I've mellowed here and there, but I'm still the same crusty old fart you know and love," Guillermo chortles as he makes his way back to his chair. "Now, what's say we discuss dinner so that it'll at least be started when Selma gets back."

"It seems Peg is ahead of you," Abe states as he nods towards the kitchen.

When the others turn around and look at the kitchen, sure enough, Peg is busily chopping up a head of romaine lettuce for the salad and a large pot is sitting on the stove. Rupert immediately gets up and heads over to the small area. Before he can even offer to help, Peg puts him to work.

"Are you going to help?" Guillermo asks Susan, who's been quietly sitting at the table with the others.

"That depends," Susan replies. "Do you want dinner to be edible?"

"Of course I do," Guillermo snorts.

"Then I won't be offering my help," Susan states. "The last place in the world you want me is near a kitchen."

"Oh, come on, you can't be that bad," Guillermo chides.

"Grandmother's telling you the truth," Maggie softly puts in. "She can barely boil a pot of water without melting the pot."

Guillermo sits and absorbs this news for a bit before changing the subject. They quietly discuss various things with Maggie only adding one or two words here and there from the safety of Abe's arms. Shortly before dinner is served, Selma returns looking a bit miffed.

"I tried every trick I know, I even invented a few, but that darn horse just wouldn't come in," Selma grouses as she's handed a stack of plates to put out.

"He does that," Abe tells her.

Abe stands to help with the setting of the table, leaving Maggie with both babies and instantly regrets it as she begins to panic. He quickly retakes his seat and pulls her shaking form towards him. No one says anything as the table if finished being prepared and dinner is served.

The others wait as Abe patiently coaxes Maggie off of the couch and towards the table. After handing the babies off to willing arms, he gets her seated and served. The dinner conversation is light and of nothing in particular and if any one notices one diner not participating in the conversation, no one makes note of it.

After dinner, Maggie and Abe disappear into the nursery to feed the babies again while the others help clean up. For the first time in her life, Susan actually dries a dish after it's been washed. When everything has been cleaned up and put away, Guillermo takes his leave.

The others mill around a bit until Abe and Maggie finally return without the babies. Before anyone can panic, Abe holds up the baby monitor indicating that the babies are sleeping. As they come out, Abe is practically holding the exhausted mother up. The others get the hint and say their goodnights.

Once they're gone, Abe helps Maggie get ready for bed. Once she's settled in, he lies down beside her until he's sure she's asleep enough not to notice him missing and heads for the bathroom. He starts running the water in the tub and then goes into the kitchen to find a Ziploc bag for the monitor.

As soon as that's accomplished, he returns to the bathroom and strips down to his shorts. It's been a long, tiring day, but before he even gets into the tub, he knows he's not going to get to sleep. He can feel the tension in his shoulders and neck and he can think of only one quick way to fix that.

After the tub has filled, he turns it off, puts his respirator back on and then peels himself out of his shorts. He brings the hand lotion over to the edge of the sink counter and sits on the lid of the toilet. After pumping some lotion into his palm, he then uses it to bring himself the greatest frustration of all.

* * *

**Author's notes**: I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry that this chapter has taken so long. I had a bit of writer's block and quite frankly it was starting to depress me, so I started another story in a totally different arena. That one's on hold until I can see if my hubby can retrieve the 2+ hours of work my 4 year old lost for me. No, I haven't sold him to the zoo yet, but I'm thinking about it. At any rate, please enjoy and I'll try to be a little faster with the next chapter. 


	25. Frustration

She's roused from sleep by quiet moaning and grunting and a soft rhythmic sound that she's never heard before. She lies there disoriented for some time as she slowly wakes. Once she's coherent enough, she realizes the sounds are coming from the bathroom.

Curiosity gets the better of her and she groggily crawls out of bed. She stumbles across the floor to the door of the restroom and silently pushes it open. What she sees nearly breaks her heart and quickly sends her into further depression.

He's sitting on the toilet lid, leaning against the tank with his head back and his eyes closed. The sink is blocking part of her view, but it looks like he's only wearing his respirator. If the grunting and rhythmic shaking of his body is anything to go by, she knows exactly what he's doing.

"I'm sorry, Abe," she whispers before she turns and runs from the room.

* * *

For so long he seeks completion, but only finds frustration. He thinks of every erotic thing they've done. He thinks of everything he'd like to try. The muscles in his arm are aching and he's reapplied lotion so many times he's lost count.

Then he hears her soft voice which sends him flying over the edge so violently that he barely catches himself in time to keep from crashing face first onto the floor. He stays on his hands and knees for several minutes as his seed spills all over the small rug in front of the toilet. With one final shudder, he picks himself off of the floor and then cleans up after himself.

As he's pulling his shorts back on, he notices that the door is open. He remembers only leaving it ajar, so this new position is curious. He steps across the room as he's zipping up his shorts. When he touches the door with his bare hand to shut it, his heart nearly stops dead in his chest.

He rushes into the bedroom and sees the empty bed. He can see the door to his tank room is open and that's all he needs to know. He charges out the door, intent on finding his now missing wife.

He doesn't have far to go as he finds her curled up in a ball next to the doors leading to the platform elevator. Guillermo is with her talking softly to her as he kneels down next to her. Abe knows that Guillermo sealed the doors to keep her from escaping and in her current state, she's no match for him.

Abe steps up behind the librarian, puts his feet on either side of the man's legs, hooks his arms in the armpits and hauls Guillermo to his feet. Abe holds him up until he's sure that Guillermo can stand on his own. Guillermo moves out of Abe's way and Abe takes Guillermo's spot.

"The only thing I can get out of her is that she keeps saying she's a horrible wife," Guillermo tells him.

"She walked in on me when I was trying to…relieve some tension," Abe tries to explain and he can practically hear the man's eyebrows go up.

"Explain," Guillermo nearly demands with a soft stomp of his cane.

"I was in the bathroom…well, there's no delicate way to say this," Abe replies softly as he pulls her into his arms. "I was masturbating."

"Have any luck?" Guillermo asks as Abe stands with Maggie shuddering in his arms.

"At first, no," Abe answers as he heads for the stairs. "In fact it was quite frustrating. Then I heard her voice and I reached climax rather violently. I thought it was all in my head until I touched the door. She said she was sorry and then she ran."

"I swear Hellboy and Liz are so much easier to deal with than you two and Liz still isn't fully trained," Guillermo grumbles as he heads for his desk at a slower than usual pace. "I seriously wonder what Maggie's Teacher was doing not telling her the basic facts of life as a Mage."

"What do you mean?" Abe asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I should write a book on what Mages can and can't do before and after marriage," Guillermo continues mutters irritably as he sits down with a grunt. "Before you're married you two couldn't fool around with each other. Now that you two are married, neither one of you can fool around without each other. If she hadn't walked in on you, you'd still be up there developing arm muscles to rival Hellboy's."

"Now she thinks she's a horrible wife because I tried to find relief without her," Abe moans as the muscles in his one arm scream in agony.

"I'm sorry," she whispers and he can feel her tears wetting his skin.

"Excuse me, Guillermo," Abe says as he heads up the stairs. "My wife and I need to have a talk."

"Good luck," the librarian wishes as they disappear upstairs.

* * *

He gently lies her down on the bed and she curls into a fetal position, sobbing her heart out again. Shaking from exhaustion, frustration and the effects of her emotions, he lies down beside her in the bed and gathers her into his arms. She doesn't resist him, but she doesn't cuddle into him like she normally would.

"I'm sorry I'm such a horrible wife and mother and…," she starts.

"Stop it!" he snaps causing her to shrink back from him, but he just holds her closer. "You are not a horrible anything! You're sick. We'll get through this."

"But you were…you were…," she sobs.

"Being a selfish husband," he calmly explains. "I never stopped to think how my actions would affect you. I'm sorry."

"But I should…," she tries.

"Concentrate on getting better," he interrupts again.

"I can't," she whimpers, trembling even harder. "I can't stop thinking what I'm thinking. I can't stop feeling what I'm feeling. I'm thinking and feeling horrible things and I just can't stop."

"Then let me help," he whispers.

"How?" she wails, becoming more despondent.

"I'll show you," he says as he pulls them both up into a sitting position and then makes her look into his eyes. "I want to join with your mind. Fully."

"But don't we do that when we…when we used to…?" she tries to ask.

"No, when we climax together, we only get a brief glimpse into each other's minds," he tells her. "This time I want to share our thoughts and memories completely. We'll know everything about each other. Are you willing to let me try?"

"Can anything go wrong?" she questions, sniffing.

"There's a very small chance that I won't be able to pull out," he reluctantly tells her.

"No!" she cries, fresh tears washing down her cheeks. "I won't let you risk yourself. You're too important."

"So are you," he insists. "You are loved and needed and wanted. I can help, please let me try."

"It's too dangerous," she whimpers as she shakes her head 'no' and tries to push him away. "I can't let you do it."

"Alright, alright," he assures her as he lays them both back down. "I won't do it."

She doesn't answer but continues to cry as he gently strokes her hair. Sometime later, she's cried herself to sleep again and he carefully extracts himself from her arms and the bed. With a heavy heart and an exhausted body, he returns to the bathroom, removes his respirator and then crawls into the tub where oblivion eludes him as his mind searches for a way to help his wife.

* * *

The following morning, Abe is exhausted and he still has no idea on how to help Maggie. About mid morning, the twins go down for a nap and Abe sends Maggie off with her mother to take care of Magick. While she's gone, John comes in with Abe's supply of eggs.

"Morning, Abe," John cheerily greets as only someone who had a full night's sleep can do. "How are things?"

"Exhausting," Abe sighs. "I think I have a way to help Maggie, but she won't let me do it."

"What were you planning on doing?" John asks as he hands Abe his bowl of rotten eggs.

"I was going to join our minds and try to help her sort through her thoughts and feelings," Abe replies as he picks out an egg. "The problem is I might not be able to pull myself out. It's a very small chance that would happen, but it's still a chance."

"So, what happens if you can't pull out?" John inquires.

"Maggie and I will cease to be functioning beings and will spend the rest of our days in a vegetative state," Abe answers.

"Ok, that would be bad," John states.

"Very bad," Abe agrees.

* * *

A couple hours later, Maggie returns smelling so heavily of horse that even Abe can smell it. He smiles at her as he gives her a hug and she leans heavily on him. The guilt of not taking proper care of her horse weighs heavily on her mind so he just holds her close until she's ready.

"Feel better?" he asks.

"A little, I guess," she replies with a shrug, not quite looking at him.

"Go get cleaned up," he gently tells her. "Lunch will be ready soon."

She reluctantly nods and then disappears through the bedroom door. Abe turns to go back to making lunch and a short time later there's a knock on the door. He lets out a small groan when he realizes who it is and then goes to answer the door.

"Hello, Hellboy," Abe greets in a perfectly controlled voice. "Hello, Liz."

"Uh-oh, Blue's pissed," Hellboy states as he muscles his way past the merman and looks around the apartment. "Manning did a pretty good job with this place. It's cozy."

"Abe, I'm sorry," Liz whispers and he can see the red, puffy eyes with the bags underneath them. "I totally forgot. I'm so sorry."

"I can't say it's alright," Abe tells her and he can see her eyes get bright with tears. "Maggie is still very sick and she will be for some time. But I understand why you didn't help her and I do forgive you."

"Thank you," she sobs just before she gives him a rib cracking hug.

He's startled at first, but returns the embrace after he recovers, gently patting her on the back. She regains her composure after about a minute and lets Abe go before seeking the arms of her husband. Hellboy casually drapes his left arm over her shoulders as she leans on him for support.

"So, how is she?" Hellboy asks.

"She's not great, but she's doing better," Abe answers as he shuts the door. "She's no longer trying to kill herself and her milk supply is coming back. She still has this overwhelming guilt because she's not perfect and can't do everything. Like I said, she still has a long way to go."

"What can we do to help?" Liz questions.

"Be there for her," Abe replies as he heads for the kitchen. "She needs support right now and having someone to talk to would be good."

"Doesn't she talk to you?" Hellboy inquires.

"Yes, but I think having another mother to talk too would be better," Abe explains as he starts to toss the salad he's made. "If Liz and Maggie could go out for a couple hours, just the two of them, I think it would help."

"What would we do?" Liz asks.

"Go for coffee, go shopping, go for a walk, whatever," Abe responds while serving the salad onto plates. "Just get her away from here so she can clear her mind and relax. I'm sure Hellboy won't mind watching Trevor for a while. Do you think you could do that?"

"Yeah, I can do that," Liz replies with a small smile.

"We're about to have lunch," Abe states as he brings out a couple plates loaded with food. "Would you care to join us?"

"Looks like you're having rabbit food again," Hellboy grumbles as he eyes the plates. "I think we'll pass."

"Your choice," Abe replies with a shrug as he puts the food on the table and Maggie comes out of the bedroom.

"Hi," Maggie quietly greets the newcomers.

"Hi, Maggie," Liz replies just as quietly. "How are you?"

"Surviving," Maggie answers with a one shouldered shrug.

"I hear you," Liz chuckles. "Sometimes it's all I can do to keep up with Trevor. If he's not trying to chase the cats then he's in their food bowls. If he's not trying to eat their food he wants to play in the litter boxes. Let me tell you, that last one is just nasty."

Maggie smiles as she slides into the chair Abe is holding out for her.

"Listen, I need to get some new clothes and I hate shopping alone," Liz says. "Want to come with me?"

"I don't know," Maggie hesitantly answers. "What about the kids?"

"What are we?" Hellboy grumbles, pointing at himself and Abe. "Chopped liver? Give us dads some credit. We can take care of the kids for a couple hours."

"The kids will be fine," Abe assures her as he takes his own seat.

"I don't know," Maggie hesitates.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Abe tells her while picking up his fork. "I'm sure your grandmother wouldn't mind shopping for you. She was hinting about going yesterday."

"What time do you want to leave?" Maggie asks Liz as she feels her heart start to pound against her ribs.

"Trevor usually goes down for a nap around two, so how about then?" Liz replies.

"Ok, two sounds good," Maggie agrees.

"Great, see you then," Liz smiles as she heads for the door with Hellboy in tow. "Have a good lunch."

"Thank you," Abe replies as he takes the first bite.

Maggie gets up and sees the couple out before returning to her seat. She picks up her fork and starts pushing her food around her plate with it. Abe's about half way done with his meal before he notices.

"What's wrong?" he asks after swallowing.

"If I leave, what's the point of me coming back?" she replies, knowing that beating around the bush doesn't work with him. "If they're going to be fine without me for a couple hours, what's to say they won't be fine without me for a couple days? Or a couple years? Or decades? What if they don't need me at all?"

"The twins will always need you," he assures her.

"Yeah, for my milk," she grumbles as she puts down her fork.

"They need you for more than that," he responds as he carefully puts his fork down. "They need your love and guidance and wisdom. They need _you_."

"Then why does it feel like that they'd be better off without me?" she demands.

"That's the depression talking," he replies. "And even if they didn't need you, I need you."

"Yeah, for sex," she mutters mostly to herself.

"I was under the impression that there was more to this relationship than sex," he states, trying not to lose his temper with her. "Maggie, please eat your lunch. You'll feel better with some food in you."

"I don't think I'll ever feel better again," she sniffs as she can feel the burn of new tears forming.

Without another word, Abe gets up and goes around the table. He strips his top off, pulls a chair up next to Maggie's and then he wraps his arms around her. Despite his anger, frustration and exhaustion, he knows he must be strong for her as she sheds her tears onto his nearly dry skin.

After she cries herself out, he gets her to eat her lunch. Just as she's finishing the twins wake up and she submissively feeds them as best she can. Once she's done, he sends her off to bed to get some rest, swearing to wake her when Liz returns.

* * *

**Author's notes**: Yes, I know, this story still isn't done. I swear we're getting closer though. 


	26. The Power of Healing

The sound of a baby whimpering rouses Maggie from a sound sleep and she groans. She opens her eyes and looks at the clock and her heart sinks when she sees it's well after two. She pushes herself upright and sits there listlessly as Abe hands her the nursing pillow.

"She isn't coming, is she?" she asks sadly, putting the pillow in place.

"She'll be here when she can," Abe answers as he hands her Morgan. "She called a little while ago and it seems Trevor sensed she was leaving and became very clingy. She'll be here as soon as she can get him calmed down."

"So, she's still coming?" she questions uncertainly, finally looking up at him, hope in her eyes.

"She's still coming," he assures her as he kisses her on the forehead and then goes to get Dylan.

* * *

Several hours later, Maggie and Liz part company in the library, each loaded down with a multitude of shopping bags. Maggie is feeling a bit better after spending time away with a friend, though the guilt and doubt still gnaw at the back of her mind. She makes her way up the spiral staircase and as she nears the top she can hear the twins screaming.

She dashes up the last few steps, bolts through the tank room door, flies through bedroom, barely remembering to drop her bags on the bed as she charges through the bedroom door into the living area. Abe and her mother are holding the twins, trying to consol them but they are so upset that they're colors are changing from bright red to deep blue or green and back again.

Maggie gets to her mother first and takes Dylan from her and within moments the crying stops and the tears dry up. Abe hands Morgan to his wife and the process repeats itself with their daughter. Abe steps up behind Maggie and circles his long blue arms around his family.

"What was that about them not needing you?" he gently teases in her ear as he holds them close.

"I think they're hungry," she states as the twins are now trying to nuzzle their way through her top.

"I'm not surprised," he replies as he releases her and gently herds her towards the bedroom. "They haven't eaten since you left. And it seems that no sooner did you and Liz leave then they woke up crying."

"I guess I won't be going out again any time soon then," she sighs sadly as she steps into her room.

"Yes, you will," he nearly orders as he starts to clear the packages off of the bed.

"But the twins…," she starts to protest as she sits on the bed.

"Will adjust to you being gone," he interrupts as he helps her get situated. "You're not going to do them any good if you don't get a break every once and a while. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," she replies meekly.

Nothing more is said as they get the twins latched on and nursing. As soon as they're eating, Abe settles down next to her and wraps his arm around her shoulders. He can feel her backsliding into her depression again as the feelings of guilt and being trapped chew away at her thoughts.

"Please let me help you," he whispers in her ear.

"I can't," she sniffs, choking back a sob. "You're too valuable to the bureau and the world. I won't let you risk yourself over me."

"Don't you understand that if you're not in my life, I don't give a damn what happens to the rest of the world?" he moans, his heart breaking that she won't let him help her.

"I can't, I just can't," she whimpers, no longer able to hold back the tears.

"It's ok," he says, holding her tighter. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It's ok."

Nothing more is said until the twins are done nursing nearly fifteen minutes later.

"Your milk supply is doing better," he observes as he takes first one baby and then the other after getting out of bed. "I'll go change their diapers while you get some rest."

She simply nods while she puts her clothes back in order and he leaves the room. As soon as she's done arranging herself, she lies down in a fetal position and sobs into her pillow feeling like the worse human being in the world. By the time he returns, she's cried herself to sleep again. He sadly covers her with a blanket just before kissing her on the temple and then going to make dinner.

* * *

Some time later, Maggie and Abe are lying in bed together with them both being fully dressed except that he's removed his top and gloves. Dinner has come and gone and the dishes have been washed, dried and put away. The twins are down until their middle of the night feeding so Abe is trying to get Maggie to get some more rest, but it's not working right now.

Her family has done what they can to help for the day and have now returned to their respective rooms. Tomorrow, Maggie's grandmothers will return home as they've done all that they can, but her parents will stay a while longer. Unfortunately, they too must leave soon and prepare to sell the house in California.

With yet another sigh, she repositions herself, finding some comfort as she rubs her cheek against his unique skin. He strokes her short hair as he holds her close. He cannot get his mind off of the idea of helping her and it's driving him crazy.

"Maggie, please…," he starts.

"No," she interrupts with a growl. "If something goes wrong we leave the twins orphans. Do you want Manning raising them?"

"No," he concedes. "But what if…"

"What part of 'no' do you not understand?" she snaps, lifting her head to look up at him.

"Will you please let me finish?" he asks.

"Sorry," she grumbles as she lies her head back down.

"What if I don't go as deep as I want?" he questions. "I'll have someone here to make sure I stay only on the surface. That way there's no chance I won't be able to pull back out. Would you agree to that?"

"But will it work?" she asks, feeling her heart start to speed up.

"I don't know," he admits, feeling her body begin to shake. "But it will at least give me a better idea if we need to up your medication or give it a bit more time to do its job."

"When?" she inquires barely above a whisper.

"After breakfast," he immediately answers. "Let's try to get a bit more rest and a good meal in us before we try. Does this sound good to you?"

"I guess," she replies quietly. "You're the doctor."

"Good, I'll ask John to help," he states a bit more relaxed. "Go to sleep. You need your rest."

She closes her eyes and concentrates on listening to his heartbeat. Within a few minutes she's sound asleep and he reluctantly slips out of the bed. He returns to the bathroom where his bed has already been filled. He removes the respirator and slips into the water, his body instantly relaxing. Moments later, he, too, is in dream land.

* * *

The next morning finds Abe and Maggie back in bed, but this time Abe is sitting with his back to the headboard, Maggie is situated between his legs leaning against him and John is with them. The twins are down for their midmorning nap and Maggie's parents are in the next room in case they wake up.

"Ok, every fifteen minutes I'll come and check on you to make sure that you're not going in too deep," John confirms with Abe.

"That is correct," Abe replies with a nod as he rubs his hands up and down his wife's arms, trying to relax her.

"Ok, then I'll let you two get to work and I'll be over here proofreading Hellboy's reports," John smiles as he sets the alarm on his watch and then goes over and sits at the small table.

"Just relax, my love," Abe say quietly in Maggie's ear as he brings his head down to her level. "Don't fight me. Let me in."

"Be careful," she whispers back as she leans back into him and closes her eyes.

He slips one hand under her shirt and nestles it just under her left breast to monitor her vital signs. Then he brings his temple in contact with hers as his other hand cradles her face in order to keep her head still. As soon as he's sure she's ready, he slips into her mind and begins to explore.

He goes through her memories of the past couple days and helps her sort out her feelings about the earthquake and windstorm she created. He helps her control the guilt she feels from not being able to do it all. Just as he's about to delve into the days she was alone with the twins, he's interrupted by John doing as what was asked of him. Abe acknowledges the young agent and then closes his eyes to dive deeper into her memories.

The chaos and feelings of being overwhelmed and completely out of control take him some time to work out with her. John interrupts him several times before he helps her control her emotions and understand them over those days of trouble.

But there's more and he knows it. He can sense it there, hiding in the background, daring him to find it. If he can just find it, fix it, he's sure that everything will be alright.

He starts to go deeper, searching for the source of her problems when someone shakes his shoulder. He wants to go after it, but pulls back with the insistent shaking. He opens his eyes and blinks a few times before turning to John and nodding. John nods back, but looks worried and he stays by the bed until Abe's eyes close again. Worriedly, John returns to his seat, but instead of going back to his proofreading, he watches the couple on the bed.

Abe continues to go through her memories, finding the ones that trouble her, picking them apart and helping her to see them more clearly. The memories that make her happy he reinforces, letting those be the ones that she'll remember first when things start getting tough. He goes through his leaving her back in California and her parents return before John rouses him again.

He searches through the first few weeks of the twins' lives, noting that her hormone levels are a lot to blame for her emotional state. The twins' birth and the meeting of her maternal family have both fears and joys and it takes him a while to help her get everything in order there.

When John goes to check on Abe again, the merman looks at him immediately instead of after several minutes and much shaking. John is still cautious, but relieved that Abe is sticking to his word. The agent settles back down in his seat and resets the timer, but still keeps an eye on the couple.

Going through the forced bed rest is fairly easy since it was mostly just frustration at not being able to get up and boredom. He gets her to release those feelings and once again, he can sense the heart of the problems nearby. It's like it's just around the corner, just out of sight. Before he has a chance to look for it, John interrupts again and Abe acknowledges the man's presence once more.

He returns to her memories once more and idly notes that her heart rate has elevated. Not sure of what to make of it just yet, so he continues his journey through her memories. After getting past the areas that have been sorted out, he hits a wall.

She's actually fighting him and keeping him out. He wants to know why and he pushes on the wall, ignoring her now racing heartbeat, her rapid breathing and her whimpering. He knows the key to all of her worries and troubles is hiding behind that wall and he wants through. Not even aware that he's using his suction cups on her, he batters against the barrier that's thwarting him. She cries out and then they both go totally limp on the bed.

"ABE! MAGGIE!" John yells as he jumps up out of his seat and races over to them.

He vigorously shakes the two of them, but neither one of them responds. A second later, Selma and Rupert burst through the door, looks of worry and fear on their faces.

"I heard Maggie cry out and then you yelling their names," Rupert explains as he steps up to the bed.

"I think Abe went down deeper than he was supposed to," John states, still trying to rouse them. "I'm going to go get the doctors."

With that, John is out the tank room door in a flash and they can hear him pounding down the spiral staircase. Selma sits on the edge of the bed and tries to take her daughter's face in her hands but discovers Abe's hand attached to it. She pulls on the hand, but the suction cups won't release and when she pulls on the other arm, she discovers that those are also latched on.

"Maggie, honey, can you hear me?" she calls out and gets no response. "Come on, baby girl. Please hear me."

"Magpie, please say something," Rupert begs as he strokes her hair.

They try for what seems to be hours and neither Maggie nor Abe react to their pleas and they stand by helplessly when the doctors arrive. Dr. Jones tries to get Abe to answer as Dr. Evans and Dr. Hodson try to get a reaction out of Maggie. When all the normal methods fail, they then start discussing the best way to move the couple. At that moment, the twins wake screaming their heads off.

* * *

He slams through that barrier and finds himself in the library. He is seeing the world through her eyes when she is almost six months pregnant; a much younger Trevor is in his play pen asleep and Guillermo is there as well, placing the last of the plates from their lunch on the cart. She's well fed, happy and content. She's also very tired and she can feel her eyelids getting heavy. She doesn't fight it and lets herself slip into blissful sleep. She's partially aware of a blanket being put over her and she lets out a little sigh.

And then it happens. Her world is shattered as she can feel the bond that she never even knew existed being torn from her soul. Beyond a shadow of a doubt she knows he's dead and that she'll never love or be loved again. She wakes screaming as her heart is shattered into a million pieces and everything goes black.

Suddenly, he sees himself being wheeled past her on a gurney with the broken shaft of a spear through his chest and the world fades away. Then he sees himself floating in the medical tank as she kneels before it sobbing and silently begging him not to leave her. She wakes up to find that he's regain consciousness but he's telling her to go to bed. Then the scenes start flashing past even faster.

Her watching him shut himself into a room and not talking to anyone. Her going to her doctor appointments alone and then him refusing to look at the pictures from the ultrasound. The final straw is when he pushes her away and tells her to leave.

The images fade into black and he's finally able to pull himself out of her point of view. She's there with him, but either she doesn't notice him or she's ignoring him. She's floating in this empty space curled up in a fetal position.

Then he realizes that despite everything, the constant reassurance of his love, their love making, everything, the bond isn't there any more. Even more heart wrenching is that she has been subconsciously not letting it regrow. She's afraid to feel that pain again and so she has refused to let the connection between them reestablish itself.

_Maggie, let me back into your heart,_ he requests sadly.

_I'm afraid,_ she replies, sounding like she's a million miles away. _I don't want to hurt any more._

_I love you,_ he assures her._ I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. Do you love me?_

_Yes! Oh god, yes, I do love you, _she cries back, sounding a little closer and he can 'hear' the hurt and fear in her 'voice.'

_Then let me back into your heart,_ he urges, trying to pull her closer to him.

_I'm afraid,_ she whimpers, she's a little closer still. _It hurt so much to lose you. I don't want to feel that again._

_Let me help heal you,_ he offers stretching himself beyond what he knew he could do.

_I'm afraid,_ she whispers and he knows she's closer now.

_I can ease your fears,_ he tells her, reaching for her but unable to 'touch' her. _I can make you feel better. Don't you want to feel better?_

_Yes,_ she answers in a small voice.

_Then reach for me,_ he instructs pushing himself even farther.

_I can't,_ she whimpers.

_Yes, you can,_ he assures her again. _You can do it._

_I'm not strong enough, _she sobs and he knows she's within reach, but he just can't seem to touch her.

_You have to want this, Maggie,_ he tells her. _You have to reach for me. I can only heal you if you let me._

_Abe, I'm afraid,_ she whispers.

_So am I, my love,_ he replies. _But together, we can do this. We can do anything._

_I can't stand losing you again, _she cries, pulling away from him.

_If you don't let me in, then you have already lost me,_ he states sadly, feeling like his own heart is about to break.

_NO! _she shouts.

Suddenly she's there with him, joined with him. He opens himself up completely to her and hesitantly, she does the same for him. At that point, their minds and souls are one and they are healed. The peace they have found defies description, but it is something they never want to leave ever again.

* * *

"We'll have to separate them somehow," Dr. Jones states as he gently tugs on Abe's hand.

"But what damage would that do to her skin?" Dr. Evans asks only barely aware of Maggie's parents being in the room. "He's attached to her face."

"So her looks are more important than her well being?" Jones demands of the younger doctor as the sound of babies crying distantly reaches them.

"Is separating them even a good idea?" Dr. Hodson inquires as Selma and Rupert try to work their way past the doctors to get to the door. "John said that Abe was doing something with Maggie's mind. If we separate them we stand to permanently damage both of them mentally."

"What we need is another telepath to bring them out of this," Evans muses, mostly to herself.

Selma stops dead in her tracks and stares at the doctor for a good fifteen seconds before turning pushing her way past Jones. She dashes across the apartment, bursts into the babies' bedroom, startling them briefly, scoops Dylan up into her arms and then hurries back as fast as she dares. She shoves her way past the people standing around the bed.

She quickly strips Dylan down to his diaper, pulls Maggie's shirt up and then holds their son to them, making sure there is skin to skin contact between the three of them. The instant they touch, Dylan lets out a shriek and Maggie and Abe's eyes fly open as they both take deep breaths. Maggie immediately reaches for her child and starts to rock him.

"Hush, little one, Mommy's here," she assures him as his crying quickly fades to little hiccups. "It's going to be ok now. Mommy loves you."

Abe quietly releases his hold on her as she prepares to feed her baby. Selma herds the doctors into the living area as Rupert goes to get Morgan. The medics stand around trying to figure what happened as Rupert takes his granddaughter to her mother. By the time he returns, the doctors are all staring at Selma who has a rather smug look on her face. Rupert steps around behind her and places his hands on her shoulders, giving her his support.

"What just happened?" Evans asks.

"How did you know that the child would bring them out of it?" Jones demands.

"She said that we needed another telepath," Selma replies smugly indicating that Dr. Evans is the 'she' that was referred to. "Dylan is a telepath. And while he may not know how to really control it right now, no mother worth her salt can deny her child when he is truly in need of her."

"I had forgotten that Dylan is a telepath," Hodson chuckles. "Good thinking Selma. Now, if everyone will excuse me, I was in the middle of examining one of my patients when John came running in."

With that, Hodson takes her leave with Evans and Jones following her. Rupert closes the door behind them and then returns to his wife. He pulls her into his arms and gives her a long hard kiss.

"You think that Abe was able to help Maggie?" he asks when he finally lets her up for air.

"I hope so," she gasps, her cheeks pink with flush and her lips swollen. "Because if he didn't, I'm going to drop kick his skinny blue but from here to California and back for scaring us all like that."

"Hmm, I'd pay good money to see that," he chuckles just before he reclaims her lips.


	27. Forgiveness

"Maggie…," Abe starts.

"Don't," she interrupts with a growl in her voice. "Just don't."

"But…," he tries to plea.

"No, Abe, I'm not interested in talking about it right now," she snaps.

"Hey, Abe?" Rupert says as he sticks his head in the door. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yes, of course," Abe replies as he takes one last glance over at his wife.

She pointedly ignores him as she folds her clean clothes and puts them away, her back stiff with anger. His shoulders droop a bit as he follows his father-in-law out of the bedroom, through the main living area and into the twins' bedroom. Rupert shuts the door behind Abe before turning to the merman and giving him a sad measured look.

"I know that your…experiences…with women are limited," Rupert quietly begins as he looks in on the sleeping twins. "So I'm going to give you a bit of advice, man to man. Leave Maggie alone."

"But…," Abe tries to protest as he joins the man at the crib.

"Hear me out," Rupert interjects with his hand held up in a 'stop' motion. "Women are very emotional creatures and using logic with them all of the time is likely to land you in hot water more often than not. Give her time to cool down and when she's ready to talk, she'll let you know."

"But it's been three days," Abe points out.

"That's just it," Rupert replies. "You haven't left her alone long enough for her to calm down. I've arranged with Liz and Selma to get her out of the house to go shopping. I don't know what it is about women and shopping, but after wearing out the credit cards, they always seem to be in a better mood."

"But she doesn't need any more clothes," Abe states as Morgan starts to stir. "She bought enough clothes when she went out with Liz to last her a couple of weeks without washing."

"Ah, but they're taking her baby clothes shopping," Rupert chuckles while he strokes his granddaughter's downy head. "There's something about baby clothes and new mothers that always gets them in a better mood. I remember after Maggie was born, Selma was in right snit for nearly a week until I finally sent her out shopping with one of my sisters. Let's just say she came back very relaxed. And a relaxed wife makes for a very happy husband. Trust me."

"I'll have to bow to your superior experience in this matter," Abe concedes with a nod just as Dylan lets out a whimper. "What should I do now though?"

"Well, lunch is coming up and Selma is planning on whisking Maggie away as soon as lunch is over," Rupert tells him while Morgan lets out a big yawn. "So perchance making lunch would be good. I'll help."

"Perhaps in a bit," Abe replies as he picks up his daughter. "I have a feeling these two want their lunch first."

"I don't need to be telepath to figure that one out," Rupert smiles as Dylan stretches and opens his eyes.

Since the twins aren't demanding food yet, diapers are changed before they're taken to their mother. Grudgingly, Maggie allows Abe to help her get the twins latched on but he quickly leaves once they're eating. Fortunately, her milk supply has returned and she's able to start expressing milk again. Shortly after lunch, Liz arrives and soon after the three women leave for parts unknown.

"What happens if this shopping trip doesn't put her in a better mood?" Abe asks Rupert as he positions the sling over his shoulder before settling Morgan in it.

"Then you're…what's the phrase?...hosed," Rupert answers as he attempts to get Dylan into the sling he's wearing.

"That isn't a comfort," Abe replies as he goes to help the man out.

"I know, but if this doesn't work, I'm not sure what we can do," Rupert responds as Dylan finally gets situated. "Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it does work."

* * *

Maggie is going through the bags of clothes, cutting off tags and tossing the new clothes in the appropriate piles to be washed. Abe cautiously comes in and watches her for a few moments. She doesn't immediately acknowledge his presence at first, but when she looks at him she doesn't scowl. He can feel the muscles in his shoulders relax a bit when she even gives him a little smile.

"Are they hungry again?" she asks as she goes back to her task.

"No, not yet," he answers and moves closer to her, slowly like she might take flight if he moves too fast. "I was just wondering if you had any special requests for dinner tonight."

"I don't know," she replies with a shrug. "Whatever you feel like making. Though, I wouldn't say no to your eggplant parmesan."

"Then eggplant parmesan you shall have," he states while he finally reaches her. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"No, that's fine," she answers as she finally pulls the last item out of the bag.

"Then I'll go make sure I have everything I'll need," he tells her.

He leans down to kiss the top of her head, but instead of hair he encounters a pair of soft, warm lips. Very carefully, as if she is a fragile porcelain doll that might break, he reaches up with his gloved hand and caresses her cheek. She makes a happy sound as she leans into his touch and a shiver runs down his spine. Before he can deepen the kiss, she pulls away and he barely stops himself groaning in frustration.

"Shouldn't you be checking on the ingredients for tonight's dinner?" she inquires, a slight tease in her voice.

"Yes, of course," he responds several moments later when enough blood has returned to his brain to process her question.

After forcing his body to behave, he straightens up and leaves the room, never seeing the knowing smirk on her lips. As he heads towards the little kitchen, Rupert intercepts him.

"Well?" the man questions.

"She's definitely much more relaxed," Abe answers as a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Though she didn't seem to want to talk about what happened. Of course, I didn't ask either."

"Good," Rupert sighs. "When she's ready to talk, she'll let you know. Don't rush it."

"I won't," Abe assures him as the merman sticks his head in the fridge to see what needs to be picked up from the store.

* * *

Several hours later, Maggie and Abe are putting the twins down for the night and Maggie lets out a huge yawn. They leave the room and half way across the living area, she stops and arches her back. He can hear several audible pops as she cracks her back and she winces slightly before giving out a sigh of relief.

"Would you like me to rub your back?" he asks and she eyes him suspiciously. "I swear that I will do nothing that you don't want."

"What is it with you and wanting to fix me?" she demands suddenly and he knows that it's time.

"I don't want to 'fix' you, my love," he calmly replies. "I want to make you feel better."

"Even if it could cost us everything?" she insists, her eyes flashing with anger. "You could have killed us both."

"Maggie, I didn't mean for it to happen," he responds sadly. "I know I said I wouldn't go so deep, but it needed to be done. You were blocking out the problem and it was sitting there like festering wound."

"So you just had to lance it, didn't you?" she growls.

"Yes, I did," he reluctantly admits, hanging his head. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I didn't know what else to do."

With that, he sadly turns and disappears through the bedroom door. A few moments later, she can hear the water for the tub being turned on. She's still angry, but she's not sure who to be angry at any more.

Realizing he's forgotten the baby monitor, he comes back out a minute later wearing only his shorts. He stops at the sight of her on her knees, her arms wrapped around her middle and silently crying. Without a word, he walks past her, gets the monitor, lifts her into his arms on his way back and carries her back to the bedroom. He gets her into bed, tucks her in and then heads for the bathroom.

"Don't leave me," she whispers through the tears. "I need you."

He doesn't need a second invitation as he quickly climbs in bed with her. He pulls her towards him and she holds onto him like her life depends on it. He lets her emotions and memories flow through him, but doesn't attempt to stop or adjust any of it despite how much he wants to.

Fortunately, she's so exhausted that she falls asleep soon after he climbs into bed with her. Once he's sure she's in a deep enough sleep, he slides out of the bed and rushes into the bathroom. He turns off the water just as it's starting to slosh over the side.

He starts to let out some of the water as he mops up the mess. As soon as the water is at the right level, he goes and retrieves the monitor from the bedroom, quickly checking on Maggie as he does. He gently caresses her face as he makes sure she's deeply asleep before returning to his own temporary accommodations. After finally convincing his brain and body to relax, he manages to fall asleep.

* * *

The next day Maggie doesn't talk about the night before and Abe isn't sure if he's relieved by this or not. Instead she helps her parents prepare for their return to California. She drives them to the airport mid-morning where she gives them a teary farewell.

"Maggie, I don't want to tell you how to run your life," Selma starts. "I no longer have that right. But you can't stay angry with him forever. He loves you and he did what he thought best at the time."

"He could have left the twins orphans," Maggie points out. "Just the thought that Manning would be raising them makes my blood boil."

"If you think for one second that anyone in our family would let that overgrown blowhard lay one hand on those two, you need to have your head checked," Selma vehemently replies. "You must have a pretty low opinion of the rest of us if you think we wouldn't fight tooth and nail to get them away from that over stuffed shirt."

"I'm sorry," Maggie whispers, her anger quickly turning to guilt and she can feel the burn of tears starting to form.

"It's alright, baby girl," Selma assures Maggie as she pulls her daughter into her arms.

A moment latter, Maggie can feel the warmth of her father as he hugs her from behind. They stand there for something shy of eternity, ignoring the jostling crowd around them finding healing in just touching each other. Slowly, reality creeps back into their lives, wiping away tears, they say their goodbyes and Maggie watches them go through security and then continues watching until they disappear into the crowd. With a sad sigh, she turns and goes home.

* * *

She returns just before lunch, deep in thought. She takes the first baby handed to her and starts to nurse, not even aware which baby she has right at that moment. Twenty minutes later, the baby is done and she hands it off easily taking the one that replaces the first.

By the time she's done nursing the second baby, lunch is ready and she's famished. Still deep in thought, she eats her food not really noticing what it is she's eating. Abe watches her passively, but doesn't interrupt her to talk. When lunch is over, he takes Morgan from Maggie as she heads for the bedroom. A few minutes later, she's back wearing her working clothes and he tilts his head in curiosity.

"I'm going to take care of Magick and Wizard now," she states just before she leaves.

He simply nods as she disappears through the door.

"Was she even aware that we're here?" Liz asks as she wipes lunch off of Trevor's hands and face.

"No," Abe answers as he goes to change Morgan's diaper.

"How do you like that?" Hellboy huffs. "We come up here and she don't even say 'hi'."

"She has a lot on her mind," Abe replies from the other room.

"I'll say," Hellboy grumbles as Liz hands him Trevor.

"So what is she thinking of?" Liz inquires as she takes a damp cloth to the highchair.

"Mostly about her feelings and how she's been acting," Abe responds as he returns. "And the events that led up to last week."

"She's not getting depressed again, is she?" Red asks trying to keep Trevor's fingers from finding his mutton chops.

"No, she's just thinking," Abe answers as he puts Morgan in her bouncy chair next to Dylan and turns the music on for her.

"And that's a good thing, right?" Hellboy confirms.

"Right," Abe smiles as he starts to clear the table.

* * *

Several hours later, Maggie returns smelling of sweat, horse and manure. Not exactly a pleasant mix and Abe's glad his sense of smell on land is no where near as keen as it is under water. She silently feeds the twins again before heading off to take a bath. By the time she comes out, Abe is making dinner again.

"Abe?" she starts quietly.

"Yes, my love," he replies equally as soft.

"I'm sorry about last night," she states.

"I forgive you," he responds automatically but meaning every word.

He holds one arm up as he continues to stir with the other. She gladly accepts the invitation and wraps her arms around his middle as she buries her face into his chest. She breathes in the smell of foam neoprene. Who knew that could be a seriously sexy smell?

After standing like that for several minutes, she gives him a gentle squeeze and then goes to set the table. A short time later they're sitting down and she goes to take her first bite. At that precise moment, Dylan makes his presence known rather vociferously.

"I'll get him," Abe offers as he stands and heads for the now wailing child.

He quickly returns and hands Dylan off to his mother before turning around to head back to the bedroom. The soft whimpers of Morgan starting to be heard only now. Maggie nurses Dylan as she eats one handed.

Abe returns to the table a few minutes later with a freshly changed Morgan in his arms and like his wife, starts to eat his meal with only one hand. Once Dylan is done, they exchange babies and Maggie begins the nursing process all over again and Abe goes to change Dylan's diaper. However, eating is more of a challenge this time since only her off hand is free. After a while she just gives up and just enjoys spending time with her daughter.

Some time later, Morgan finally finishes her meal, allowing her mother to finish hers even though it's now cold. Maggie doesn't mind as she eats her food, chewing in comfortable silence. Abe knows she's tired and doesn't try to start a conversation until the meal is over.

"How are things up at the house?" he asks as he readjusts Dylan and settles into his chair.

"They're ok, but I'm going to have to go shopping for some new dishes and glasses," she answers as she props her feet up on the chair next to her and sinks down in her seat. "That little stunt I pulled broke most of them. It's a shame, I liked that pattern too. With my luck they've discontinued it. Wizard is in a bit of snit since there's no one there to constantly pet him and Magick needs to go on a diet. He's so out of shape it's scary. Fortunately, there's no real structural damage to the house or the barn, just some cracked plaster here and there. I lost a few of my herb plants in the kitchen too, so those are going to have to be replaced. I feel like such an idiot."

"You were sick and not completely responsible for your actions," he says soothingly.

"Doesn't mean I don't feel like an idiot," she replies as she switches Morgan from one arm to the other. "It just means no one's going to blame me."

"Why don't you go sit on the sofa with the twins while I clear the table," he states, switching the topic before she starts to get depressed.

"I thought clean up was my department," she points out.

"It is, I'm just clearing the table," he replies. "You pick out something for us to watch and I'll bring out dessert."

"You don't have to tell me twice," she snickers.

She relieves her husband of Dylan and then puts the babies in their bouncy seats while she picks out a movie. A couple minutes later, she has a movie picked out and in the DVD player. She settles down on the love seat with the twins and awaits her love with the remote close at hand.

A minute later he joins them and he hands her the dessert after taking Morgan from her. He takes his seat and gets his first glance at the movie she's selected and he looks at her with that all familiar head tilt. She smirks as she settles Dylan so he's leaning against the arm of the seat and starts to eat her food.

"V for Vendetta?" he asks.

"I felt like a little mayhem tonight," she answers, trying not to snicker.

"A bit violent for the twins, don't you think?" he questions, trying not smile himself.

"We'll cover their eyes during the violent bits," she replies, really, really trying not to laugh.

"And what about the swearing?" he inquires as he settles Morgan on his lap also leaning against the arm of the love seat.

"Bollocks," she snickers. "I don't think we have to worry about them repeating any unsavory words just yet."

"You're being a bad influence on our children you know," he replies trying to keep from smiling.

"I'm the worse influence they'll ever have," she chuckles as she hits the 'play' button. "I'm their mother."

He just chuckles and shakes his head as Natalie Portman starts reciting the 'Fifth of November' poem. They watch the first half of the movie in peace as the twins seem to be fascinated by the moving pictures. Just when Gordon is making breakfast for Evey, Dylan decides he wants to eat too.

Maggie quickly latches Dylan on to the nipple before he can upset his sister and they continue to watch in relative peace for a little while longer. The movie is paused when Dylan's done and Maggie takes Morgan while Abe goes to change Dylan and then put him to bed. About twenty more minutes of movie and then Abe takes Morgan to join her brother.

A short time later, Abe and Maggie are cuddled together on the couch watching the end of the movie together. When the movie is over, the TV and DVD player are turned off, but neither one of them feels like getting up. She sighs contentedly as he rubs his hand up and down her arm.

She reaches over and grabs the hand and starts to pull off his glove. He tries to remain stoic, but when she starts to kiss his finger tips it's pretty much over for him. He lets out a low groan causing her to chuckle.

Before she can even let out a squeak, she finds herself pinned against the arm of the love seat with a very horny husband on top of her. His lips claim hers and she gladly relents to his needs. His hands pull her shirt loose from her pants as her fingers deftly remove his top.

Soon, the only thing that matters is touching and kissing as much skin as possible. Various articles of clothing are shucked every which way as the need to feel each other grows. She whimpers when he suddenly pulls away from her, she looks at him worriedly, afraid she's done something wrong.

Before she can say anything, she finds herself being lifted into his arms and he starts towards the bedroom. She wraps her arms around his neck being careful of his gills and leans her head on his shoulder. She blows on his gills and he suddenly stops as a shiver runs up his spine, holding her even closer.

"Do that again and we won't make it to the bed," he growls.

"Then you better walk faster," she chuckles evilly just before she gently nips his shoulder.

Before she can even blink, he's running across the room and through the bedroom door. She lets out a shriek as she's unceremoniously dumped onto the bed which is immediately followed by laughter as he lands on top of her. The giggles quickly stop once his lips find hers again and the only sounds that fill the room are their moans.

The last of the clothing is removed with some difficulty as foam neoprene just doesn't like cooperating with her sweaty fingers. When at long last those miserable shorts are gone, he holds her to him, skin to skin until she thinks she's going to explode with the want and need of him. Before she can voice her displeasure, he's inside her and anything that might have been words on her lips turns to mewls of pleasure.

The feeling of her surrounding him nearly drives him past the point of reason. With every ounce of will power he owns he refuses to let himself find completion until she does. Her moist heat is driving him to the edge and he's not sure how much longer he can hold out. Then suddenly, she cries out, her body shudders beneath him and he finally lets go.

Their memories merge into one again and this time he holds the door open instead of automatically closing it like he normally does. They are one entity and nothing in the world can separate them, not even death. They lie there like that for eternity it seems until slowly, almost painfully, they separate and he lies down next to her with her cuddling up to him as soon as he's settled.

"I love you and will until the day they scatter my ashes out at sea next to yours," she whispers near his tympanic membrane. "This I promise you."

While he doesn't know what challenges will lay ahead of them, but he knows that the miracle of love will over come any obstacle in their way.

Fini

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the rights to V for Vendetta, Gordon or Evey Hammond. Though I have tried Eggy in a Basket and it's really nummy when made with butter.

**Author's note:** Can you believe it? I finally finished this story! WOO BLOODY HOO! Thanks to all my readers who've held on this far. Extra cyber cookies to my reviewers. Thanks for reading.


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